HANCOCK    "THE    SUPERB." 


THE 

EAELT  LIFE  AKD  PUBLIC  CAEEEE 


OF 

WINFIELD  S.  HANCOCK, 

MAJOR-GENERAL  U.  S.  A. 

THE    IMPOSING    RECORD    OF    A    PROGRESSIVE    AND    BRILLIANT 
CAREER;    A  STRIKING    ILLUSTRATION    OF   THE    MARCH    OF 
GENIUS   UNDER   FREE    INSTITUTIONS:    WITH    A   FULL 
AND    GRAPHIC    ACCOUNT    OF    THE    PROCEEDINGS 
AT  THE  CINCINNATI  CONVENTION :   TI|E  t^A?-  •;  •„     „' 
FORM,  TABLES  OF  BALLOTS,  ETC.    WECIJ' J    v    ",  ; 
ANECDOTES  AND  INCIDENTS.  •*••'•      •»:  • 


INCLUDING  ALSO       f*  *  •      t  • 

A  SKETCH  OF  THE  LIFE'Ofr  -->  ' 

HON.  WILLIAM  H.  ENGLISH. 


THE  WHOLE  PREPARED  WITH  GREAT  CARE 
BY 

REV.  C.  W.  PENISON, 

LATE  CHAPLAIN  U.  S.  A., 
AND 

CAPT.  G.  B.  HERBERT, 

JOURNALIST. 


PUBLISHED  BY 

THE  NATIONAL  PUBLISHING  CO., 

PHILADELPHIA,  PA.,  CHICAGO,  ILL.,  ST.  Louis,  Mo., 
AND  ATLANTA,  GA. 


H 

\  980 


'II         *•*."«  COPYRIGHT, 

H.  W.  KELLET. 

1880. 


PEEEACE. 


THE  pure  patriotism,  brilliant  military  genius,  sound 
civilian  statesmanship,  and  dauntless  personal  courage 
of  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK,  equally  with  his  stainless 
social  record  in  mature  life,  kis  affectionate  obedience  to 
parental  commands  in  youth,  and  his  reverential  regard 
for  and  memory  of  his  boyhood's  preceptor,  as  shadowed 
forth  in  the  following  pages  of  an  impartial  biography, 
render  him  at  once  an  ornament  to  this  nation,  an  honor 
to  his  native  State,  and  a  glowing  ensample  to  the  boys, 
the  youth,  and  the  men  of  America.  His  name  and  fame 
are  as  inseparably  interwoven  with  the  history  of  this 
great  Kepublic  as  are  those  of  tne  immortal  GEORGE 
WASHINGTON.  It  was  the  fortune  of  the  latter  to  have 
consecrated  the  "  Stars  and  Stripes ;"  it  was  the  destiny 
of  the  former  to  preserve  that  glorious  flag  from  being 
rent  into  tatters  during  the  temporary  aberration  which, 
at  a  critical  period,  afflicted  several  States  of  the  Union. 
The  name  of  HANCOCK  blazes  brilliantly  amid  the  galaxy 
of  names  on  the  records  of  Revolutionary  days,  and  ita 
present  wearer  has  added  to  that  lustre  by  deeds  of  daring, 
acts  of  gentleness,  and  proofs  of  high  and  spotless  integ 
rity.  In  dealing  with  the  sad  and  stormy  scenes  of  Seces- 

M122972 


iv  PREFACE. 

sion's  strife,  we  have  endeavored  so  to  tone  and  mellow 
the  bitter  memories  of  that  epoch  that  even  those,  to 
whom  such  memories  are  especially  painful,  will  admit 
that  the  facts  we  present  are  excerpts  from  the  history  of 
their  nation  and  of  ours  alike,  and  join  with  us  in  accepting 
the  fitness  of  the  title  we  have  adopted,  "  HANCOCK  THE 
SUPERB."  That  a  career  so  exceptionably  perfect  should 
be  crowned  by  the  highest  gift  at  the  disposal  of  the 
people,  would  seem  to  be  but  simple  justice ;  one  of  those 
episodes  which  sometimes  demonstrate  "  the  eternal  fitness 
of  things."  It  is,  therefore,  in  no  partisan  spirit,  but  with 
a  sense  of  broad-viewed,  national  policy,  that  we  trust  one 
more  title,  that  grandest  of  all  titles,  "  Elected  President 
of  a  Republic  of  Sovereigns,"  may  yet  be  bestowed  upon 
the  noble  man  whom  we  now  know  and  respect  as  Major- 
General  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK.  With  this  brief 
preface,  we  submit  this  volume  to  the  friendly  criticism  of 
his  fellow-citizens  North,  South,  East,  and  West. 

G.B.H. 

PHILADELPHIA,  Aug.  1st,  1880. 


I 
I 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTEE    I.  PAG8 

Sketch  of  Norristown,  where  his  Youth  was  Passed  —  The  Glorious 
Memories  of  the  Surroundings  —  Valley  Forge  —  The  Illustrious 
Pedigree  of  our  Hero,  Winfield  Scott  Hancock  ....  11 

CHAPTER   II. 

The  Schoolboy  Days  of  Hancock  —  His  early  Military  Predilections 
— Hia  Youthful  Friendships  —  The  Permanent  Impress  of  a  good 
Home  Moulds  his  Character  —  "Why,  that  big  Boy  out  there 
Tried  to  Whip  Me,  and  I  was  n't  going  to  let  Him  "  .  .21 

CHAPTEE    III. 

The  Mimic  Battles  of  his  Boyhood  Foreshadow  his  Gallant  Career 
—  His  Noble  Defence  of  a  Young  Playmate,  and  their  Meeting  in 
after  Years,  when  Both  had  earned  Distinction  —  "A  Good  Sol 
dier  Knows  no  Party  but  his  Country" 21 

CHAPTEE    IV. 

An  Interesting  Episode  which  had  much  to  do  with  Shaping  the 
Destiny  of  Young  Hancock  —  The  Ill-Treatment  of  a  Horse  by  a 
Drayman  leads  indirectly  to  a  Cadetship  for  the  Future  General,  41 

CHAPTEE    Y. 

Winfield  Scott  Hancock  as  a  West  Point  Cadet— He  Meets  his  Illus 
trious  Namesake  —  His  Creditable  Progress  at  the  Academy — His 
Industry,  His  Truthfulness,  and  High  Sense  of  Honor  —  An  Il 
lustration  of  his  Humorous  Vein —  "Jineing  the  Pint"  .  .  53 

CHAPTEE    YI. 

A  Brief  Sketch  of  Montgomery  County,  Rich  in  its  Revolutionary 
Associations  —  A  County  to  be  proud  of,  and  a  County  that  is 

1*  (T) 


vi  CONTENTS. 

PAGB 

proud  of  its  Distinguished  Son,  the  Present  Nominee  for  the  Pres 
idency  of  the  United  States    .'.".-        .        .        .        .        .59 

CHAPTEK   VII. 

Winfield  Graduates  — His  Gallant  Career  in  the  Mexican  War  — 
Churubusco  —  Molino  del  Rey — Chapultepec — Toluca — The  Com 
plimentary  Resolutions  of  the  Pennsylvania  Legislature  —  The 
Fleshing  of  his  Maiden  Sword  .  .  .  .  .  .63 

CHAPTER   VIII. 

Promoted  to  be  Adjutant  —  His  Selection  of  a  Beautiful  and  Ac 
complished  Life  Partner — Their  two  Olive  Branches,  and  the  sad 
Cypress  Wreath  —  His  good  old  Schoolmaster  .  .  .  75 

CHAPTER   IX. 

Among  the  "Everglades"  —  Stationed  in  the  Mormon  District  — 
His  Experiences  in  California  —  The  coming  Storm  met  by  his 
fearless  Patriotism  .  .  .  . 82 

CHAPTER   X. 

The  Stars  and  Bars  vi.  the  Stars  and  Stripes  — Winfield  Scott  Han 
cock  Rises  to  the  Occasion  —  The  Soldier-Statesman  who  Knew  no 
Politics  but  the  Policy  of  the  Union,  Earning  the  Right  to  Become 
the  First  of  American  Citizens.  .  .  .  . '  .  .  .  .  92 

CHAPTER   XL 

A  ripe  Military  Man,  a  true  Patriot,  and  an  Unflinching  Loyalist  — 
His  further  Promotion  at  the  Instance  of  General  McClellan  —  His 
long  March  across  the  Continent  from  Benicia.  .  .  .  .100 

CHAPTER   XII. 

His  Brigade  on  the  Potomac  —  His  quiet  Method  of  Dealing  with 
Spies  —  The  Actual  Opening  of  the  Dread  Fraternal  Strife  —  Han 
cock's  Presence  everywhere  the  Signal  for  Enterprise  and  Ac 
tivity  .  .  .  .'  . 10« 

CHAPTER   XIII. 

The  Campaign  of  1862  —  The  Valley  of  the  Shenandoah  —  Burnside 
at  Roanoke  Island  — Big  Bethel  — A  "Sick  Man"  inconveniently 
Captured  —  "  My  Husband's  Aunt  Betty  " 118 


At  the  Age  of  37. 


CONTENTS. 
CHAPTEE   XIV. 

Hancock  at  Yorktown —  One  of  the  Decisive  Issues  of  the  War  — 
"  Wave,  Richmond,  all  thy  Banners  Wave ! "  but  still  they  Waved 
in  Vain  —  Hancock  Breveted  Major  in  the  United  States  Regular 
Array 128 

CHAPTER   XY. 

The  Brilliant  Victory  at  Williamsburg  — " Gentlemen,  Charge!"  — 
The  Field  on  which  Hancock  Earned  the  Title  of  " SUPERB"  — 
The  Enemy  Routed  out  of  their  Entrenchments  ....  140 

CHAPTER    XVI. 

Hancock's  Correspondence  with  his  Family  —  The  Modest  Soldier  — 
The  Faithful  Son  —  The  Affectionate  Brother  —  The  Civilian  in 
the  Midst  of  Strife 148 

CHAPTER   XVII. 

The  Terrible  Struggles  of  Garnett's  Hill,  Savage's  Station,  and 
White  Oak  Swamp  —  Hancock  as  Major-General  of  Volunteers  — 
The  Return  from  the  Peninsula 153 

CHAPTER   XVIII. 

Hancock  a  Colonel  in  the  Regular  Army  —  The  Sanguinary  Ons-et 
'  at  Antietam  —  The  Enemy  driven  back  to  Virginia — An  Episode 
of  Grim  Humor  —  A  Union  Colonel  in  his  First  Fight .        .        .157 

CHAPTER   XIX. 

Hancock  at  Fredericksburg  —  The  Passage  of  the  Rappahannock — 
Terrible  Slaughter  of  the  Union  Troops  —  Hancock's  Line  Im 
pregnable —  His  Care  for  his  Wounded  Men  .  ....  166 

CHAPTER   XX. 

The  Bloody  Battle  of  Chancellorsville  —  Hancock's  Bold  Charge 
puts  the  Enemy's  Solid  Column  to  Flight  —  General  Hancock 
Assigned  to  the  Command  of  the  Second  Corps  U.  S.  A.  .  .  182 

CHAPTER   XXI. 

The  Invasion  of  Pennsylvania  and  Maryland  —  The  Famous 
Heights  of  Gettysburg  —  "The  Army  of  the  Potomac"  Confronts 
Lee's,  and  Prepares  for  Battle 189 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER    XXII.  PAai 

The  Furious  Fight  at  Gettysburg  —  General  Hancock,  with  the 
Second  Army  Corps,  in  the  Centre  of  the  Buttle—  Colonel  Ran 
dall  and  the  Gallant  Thirteenth  Vermont  —  "  Colonel,  can  you 
take  that  Battery  ?  "  "I  can,  Sir."  —  Hancock  Severely 
Wounded  ..........  • 

CHAPTER   XXIII. 

General  Hancock  at  Home  after  the  Battle  —  The  Wounded  Hero 
an  Object  of  Adoration—  An  Elegant,  and  Costly  Testimonial 
from  the  Friends  of  his  Youth  —  Once  more  at  the  Front  .  .  20S 

CHAPTER   XXIV. 

Ordered  to  Washington  —  His  Headquarters  at  Harrisburg  —  In 
spiring  Address  to  the  Citizens  of  his  Native  State  —  The  City 
Councils  of  Philadelphia  Honor  Pennsylvania's  Son  —  Reception 
in  Independence  Hall  .........  217 

CHAPTER   XXV. 

Hancock's  Campaign  with  Grant  —  He  is  made  Major-General  of 
Volunteers  —  The  Fight  in  the  Wilderness  —  Our  Hero  again 
Wounded  —  Generals  Stuart  and  Johnson,  the  Prisoners  of  his 
Command  —  Affecting  Meeting  with  Old  Companions  .  .  .  22i 

CHAPTER   XXVI. 

General  Hancock  in  the  Advanced  Front  in  Spottsylvania  —  Another 
Glorious  Charge  and  Another  Brilliant  Victory  to  add  to  his  Noble 
Record  ............  238 

CHAPTER   XXVII. 

Lee  Falls  back  before  the  Advance  of  the  Second  Army  Corps  —  Ewell 
and  Longstreet  Retreat  as  Hancock  nears  them—  Only  Fourteen 
Miles  from  Richmond  —  On  the  Banks  of  the  Pamunkey  —  A 
Midnight  Assault  Repulsed  ........  218 

CHAPTER   XXVIII. 

On  the  Banks  of  the  Famous  Chickahominy  —  Capture  of  the  Ford 
at  Taylor's  Bridge  —  Cold  Harbor,  Bottom's  Bridge,  and  the 
James  River  —  "  On  to  Richmond  !"  .  .  .260 


CONTENTS.  ix 

CHAPTER    XXIX.  pAQK 

Hancock's  Siege-Lines  Closing  in  on  the  Confederate  Capital  — 
Hancock  Carries  Bottom's  Bridge  at  the  Point  of  the  Bayonet — • 
The  Mississippi  y  alley  Sanitary  Fair  Presents  a  Sword  to  Gen 
eral  Hancock 268 

CHAPTER    XXX. 

The  Second  Army  Corps  Advancing  on  Petersburg —  General  Meade 
Congratulates  General  Hancock  —  Closing  in  upon  Richmond  — 
A  Magnificent  Ruse  and  a  Midnight  Surprise  ....  280 

CHAPTER    XXXI. 

The  Weldon  Railroad  Captured  —  Atlanta  Reduced  —  The  Victory 
at  Winchester  —  Hancock's  Command,  Alone  and  Unaided,  Re 
pulses  the  Enemy  and  Retains  the  Weldon  Road  —  Bayonet  to 
Bayonet,  the  Foe  are  driven  back  —  One  of  the  Most  Desperate 
Struggles  of  the  War 296 

CHAPTER    XXXII. 

The  Battle  of  Gettysburg  described  by  General  Hancock  —  Full  De 
tails  of  the  Fight  that  Saved  Philadelphia  —  The  Order  that  Placed 
General  Hancock  over  General  Howard  —  The  Second  and  Third 
Divisions  of  the  Second  Corps  Bear  the  Brunt  of  Battle  .  .311 

CHAPTER   XXXIII. 

Brigadier-General  Hancock  —  Battles  of  Tolopatomoy  Creek,  North 
Anna,  Cold  Harbor,  the  Sanguinary  Chickahouiiny,  Deep  Bot 
tom,  Reams's  Station,  and  Boydton  Plank-Road  —  The  End  of  his 
Fighting  Career  —  An  Important  Mission  Conferred  upon  him  .  323 

CHAPTER   XXXIY. 

In  Washington  —  The  Organization  of  the  First  Army  Veteran 
Corps  —  Hancock  a  Major-General  —  In  Charge  of  the  Middle 
Military  Division —  He  has  Charge  of  Washington  after  the  As 
sassination  of  President  Lincoln —  The  Surratt  Matter  .  .338 

CHAPTER   XXXV. 

Sketches  and  Anecdotes  —  "Jineing  the  Pint "—  Hancock  as  a 
Cadet,  as  a  Junior  Officer,  and  as  a  Commander  —  "I  always 
Know  where  to  find  Hancock,"  (Gen.  Grant.)  —  The  Magic  In 
fluence  of  his  Presence  on  the  Field  .  345 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTEK   XXXVI. 

Hancock  a  Major-General  —  His  Military  Command  in  the  South  — 
The  Celebrated  "  General  Orders  No.  40  "  —  His  Support  of  Civil 
Authority  —  Military  Rule  Subservient  to  Constitutional  Law  — 
The  Civilian  Soldier  Demonstrating  his  Statesmanship  .  .  356 

CHAPTER   XXXVII- 

The  Celebrated  Letter  to  Governor  Pease,  of  Texas  —  General  Hnn- 
cock's  Careful  Exposition  of  the  Relation  between  the  Military 
and  the  Civil  Administration  —  A  Valuable  and  Remarkable 
Document  ...........  363 

CHAPTER   XXXVIII. 

Hancock's  Policy  of  Reconstruction  too  honest  for  the  Carpet-Bag 
element  —  His  Command  of  the  Atlantic  Division  —  Transferred 
to  Dakota  —  Resumes  Command  of  the  Military  Division  of  the 
Atlantic  —  His  Political  Record  .  '  .  .  .  .  .  .  382 

CHAPTER   XXXIX. 

The  Cincinnati  Convention,  which  Nominated  Major-General  Win- 
field  Scott  Hancock,  U.  S.  A.,  for  President  of  tke  United  States, 
June  24,  1880  ....  .  ''«'-..  '.,./.  .389 

CHAPTER   XL. 

WILLIAM  H.  ENGLISH,  OF  INDIANA. 

Nominated  for  Vice-President  of  the  United  States  by  the  Cincin 
nati  Convention  of  1880  —  Sketch  of  his  Life  —  A  Native  Indi- 
anian  —  Early  Career  —  Political  Record  —  Services  in  Congress 
—  The  Kansas-Nebraska  Bill  —  Commercial  Life  .  .  .417 

CHAPTER    XLI'.' 
CONCLUSION         ••'  .......        .  429 


l( 


HANCOCK     THE  SUPERB,' 

THE   LAWYER'S   SON. 


CHAPTER  I. 

Sketch  of  Norristown,  where  his  Youth  was  Passed —  The  Oloriou$ 
Memories  of  the  Surroundings  —  Valley  Forge  —  The  Illustriout 
Pedigree  of  our  Hero,  Winfield  Scott  Hancock. 

ON  the  14th  of  February,  1824,  in  a  retired  part 
of  the  County  of  Montgomery,  near  Montgom 
ery  Square,  Pennsylvania,  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HAN 
COCK  was  born.  He  is  the  son  of  BENJAMIN 
FRANKLIN  and  ELIZABETH  HANCOCK,  who  were  also 
natives  of  Montgomery  County.  His  twin-brother, 
HILARY  BAKER,  is  a  resident  of  Minneapolis,  Min 
nesota,  where  he  has  been  for  some  years  engaged 
in  the  practice  of  law.  The  only  remaining  bro 
ther,  Major  JOHN  HANCOCK,  was  in  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac  during  the  late  unhappy  civil  war.  The*»e 
three  are  all  the  children  of  this  branch  of  the  Han 
cock  family. 

(ID 


12  '  WltfFIEi;D\ !  THE  LA  WTER  'S  SON. 

At  the  age  of  four  years  Winfield  removed,  with 
his  parents,  to  Norristown,  Pennsylvania,  a  beautiful 
borough,  finely  located  on  the  sloping  banks  of  the 
Schuylkill  river,  about  twenty  miles  from  Philadel 
phia.  It  is  the  shire  town  of  Montgomery  county. 
Last  census  it  contained  a  population  of  10,753. 
The  court-house  is  well  situated,  on  a  commanding 
eminence,  and  built  of  the  handsome  gray  marble 
of  the  vicinity.  Its  spire,  which  resembles  that  of 
some  modern  churches,  is  seen  from  a  considerable 
distance,  and  forms  an  attractive  object  in  the  central 
portion  of  the  town.  There  are  several  churches, 
some  of  which  are  quite  elegant  in  appearance.  The 
streets  are  nearly  all  wide,  straight,  and  generally 
laid  out  at  right  angles.  Some  of  them  are  finely 
shaded  with  trees.  One  of  the  principal  thorough 
fares  has  beautiful  rows,  the  clean  trunks  and  shady 
branches  of  which  reflect  credit  on  the  common  sense 
and  good  taste  of  the  citizens.  The  banks,  newspa 
pers,  hotels,  markets,  and  other  town  appliances,  be 
token  the  activity  and  conveniences  of  the  people. 
There  are  eight  newspapers,  one  a  daily,  which  circu 
late  widely  through  the  adjacent  country,  while  the 
daily  papers  of  Philadelphia  and  New  York  find 
numerous  and  constant  readers,  in  a  few  hours  after  , 
they  leave  their  presses.  The  public  schools,  which 


WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK, 


WILLIAM  H.  ENGLISH, 


SKETCH  OF  NORRISTOWN.  13 

have  been  established  several  years,  are  abundant 
and  well  conducted.  There  are  some  good  seminaries, 
finely  situated  in  the  outskirts  of  the  town,  which 
afford  the  best  facilities  for  male  and  female  education. 

Owing  to  its  being  favored  with  a  court  house,  and 
the  strong  stone  jail 'appurtenance  thereunto  belong 
ing,'  Norristown  has  a  liberal  supply  of  gentlemen 
of  the  legal  profession.  Their  numerous  signs  give 
evidence  of  the  things  signified  in  all  the  most 
frequented  places.  A  somewhat  amusing  instance 
of  the  abundance  of  this  highly  valuable  class  of 
the  community,  in  this  quarter,  occurred  with  the 
author. 

We  were  returning  from  a  visit  to  the  market, 
whither  we  had  gone  before  sunrise,  in  order  that  we 
might  note  its  peculiarities  and  its  patrons'  habits, 
and  had  just  turned  a  corner  by  the  court-house, 
when  a  countryman  accosted  us : 

"  Maybe  you're  a  strenger  in  Norristown  ?" 

"Yes,  sir,"  was  our  reply. 

•'  Maybe  you  was  'quirin'  'bout  the  prices  in  mer- 
ket?" 

"Yes,  sir,"  we  again  answered. 

"  Maybe  you're  a  lawyer  ?"  said  he,  looking  at  us 
with  great  reverence. 

"  No,  sir !"  we  replied,  not  a  little  surprised  at  the 
2 


14  WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

question,  and  quickly  adding:    "What  made  you 
think  so?" 

"  Why,  strenger,"  he  concluded,  continuing  to  look 
steadily  at  us,  "you've  got  such  a  honest  face !"  . 

Completely  overcome,  we  turned  away,  and  passed 
hurriedly  down  Court  House  Hill.  Ever  since  that 
eventful  moment  we  have  had  a  most  exalted  opinion 
of  the  lawyers  of  Norristown.  How  widely-known 
and  well-established  must  be  the  integrity  of  these 
champions  of  jurisprudence,  when  a  common  stran 
ger  in  the  streets  is  supposed  to  be  one  of  their  num 
ber  by  the  honesty  of  his  looks  ! 

The  public  bridge  across  the  river  Schuylkill,  at 
this  place,  is  one  of  the  longest  and  most  substantial 
in  Pennsylvania.  It  leads  to  the  neat  village  of 
Bridgeport,  where  the  canal  flows  along  the  banks, 
and  where,  just  above,  a  dam  spans  the  stream,  down 
the  sides  of  which  the  waters  pour  their  crystal  flood, 
like  a  thin  sheet  of  transparent  glass  hung  over  a 
parapet.  In  the  centre  of  the  river  is  a  lovely  island, 
the  green  summer  verdure  of  which  is  reflected  in 
the  passing  waters ;  and  whose  romantic  reaches  be 
yond  remind  the  beholder  of  the  days  when  the 
Schuylkill  was  the  sporting  current  of  the  Indian, 
when  its  groves  echoed  to  his  wild  halloos,  and  tho 
hill-sides  and  valleys  smoked  with  his  wigwams. 


VALLEY  FORGE.  15 

Now  the  dash  of  the  water-wheel  and  the  ripple  of 
the  canal-boat  have  taken  the  place  of  the  paddling 
canoe.  The  savage  shout  has  died  away,  and  in  its 
stead  we  hear  the  roar  of  engines  on  the  railroad,  and 
the  clatter  of  machinery  in  the  factories  along  the 
river.  The  smoke  of  the  lodge  has  long  since  passed 
into  thin  air,  and  its  space  is  supplied  by  the  black 
vapor  that  rises  from  the  tall  chimneys  of  the  busy 
iron  forge,  or  the  white  steam  of  the  lime-kiln.  The 
Minie  rifle  has  supplanted  the  bow ;  the  axe  of  the 
pioneer  has  driven  out  the  savage  hatchet ;  the  winding 
wild- wood  path  of  the  red  man  has  become  a  country 
road,  a  turnpike,  a  railway  ;  and  a  large  town  stands 
on  the  rude  plots  where  the  aborigines  reared  their 
solitary  huts.  The  naked  foot  of  barbarism  has  been 
lifted  from  the  soil,  and  the  shod  step  of  civilization 
is  in  its  place  where  beautiful  Norristown  flourishes 
to-day. 

A  few  miles  west  from  the  Schuylkill  is  one  of  1  he 
most  memorable  spots  in  American  revolutionary 
history.  It  is  the  Valley  Forge.  Here  it  was  that 
the  scattered  remnants  of  the  patriotic  Continental 
army,  under  Washington,  went  into  their  scanty  win 
ter  quarters.  The  British  General,  Sir  William 
Howe,  had  vainly  endeavored,  with  a  much  superior 
force,  to  draw  the  commander-in-chief  into  an  unequal 


16  WINF1ELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

engagement.  His  object  was  the  complete  conquest 
of  Philadelphia  and  the  adjacent  territory.  Bat 
Washington  was  too  cautious  to  be  allured  from  his 
stronghold  in  these  Pennsylvania  hills ;  although  to 
remain  there,  through  that  unusually  inclement  sea 
son,  was  sure  to  cause  him  and  his  brave  troops  a 
great  amount  of  suffering. 

The  battle  of  Germantown  had  been  fought  by 
Washington,  with  La  Fayette  and  Pub.ski,  at  that  time 
just  introduced  to  our  republican  army.  Germantown 
is  but  a  few  miles  east  of  Norristown,  on  the  fine  ridge 
of  country  lying  toward  Philadelphia.  The  battle 
took  place  on  the  4th  of  October,  1777 ;  and 
although  the  American  soldiers  were  enduring  much 
from  sickness  and  privations,  they  attacked  the  in 
vaders  with  such  valor  that  they  would  have  com 
pletely  won  the  day  but  for  an  unforeseen  withdrawal 
of  aid,  for  which  it  was  impossible  for  Washington 
to  be  prepared. 

At  the  struggle  of  the  Brandywine,  which  took 
place  not  many  miles  from  Norristown,  on  the 
llth  of  September,  in  the  same  year,  the  Americans 
fought  equally  well;  but  the  smallness' of  their  force, 
and  the  wounding  of  La  Fayette,  had  compelled  a 
retirement  from  the  field.  The  determined  will  and 
skillful  strategy  of  Washington,  fighting  a  strong, 


VALLEY  FORGE.  17 

fresh  force  of  the  enemy,  with  disabled  columns,  kept 
Sir  William  Howe  at  bay  from  Philadelphia.  It  was 
not  until  the  last  extremity  had  come,  that  the  revolu 
tionary  troops  steadily  and  slowly  retired  to  the 
Valley  Forge.  Here  was  passed  that  winter  of  ter 
rible  trial. .  Without  suitable  food  or  clothing,  worn 
down  by  repeated  marches  and  battles,  deprived  of 
the  comforts  of  home,  driven  into  poor  little  shanties 
for  protection  against  the  piercing  cold,  the  patriots 
of  that  day  have  gilded  those  hillsides  and  glens  of 
Pennsylvania  with  the  glory  of  their  deeds.  It  was 
here  that  the  selfish  spirit  of  mean  and  cowardly  men 
added  to  the  sufferings  of  the  brave  soldiers.  At 
the  time  when  starvation  seemed  to  be  staring  them 
in  the  face,  when  their  feet  were  yet  sore  and  swollen 
with  their  shoeless  conflicts  in  the  drifted  snows,  there 
were  wretches  base  enough  to  rush  through  the  sad 
and  gloomy  camp,  crying  "Beef I  Beef!  Give  us 
beef!"  It  required  all  the  courage  and  force  of  cha 
racter  of  Washington  to  check  this  unpatriotic  out 
break,  and  convince  the  soldiers  that  to  endure  as 
byave  men  should  was  finally  to  succeed  in  the  great 
struggle.  In  the  'dead  waste  and  middle'  of  that 
fearful  winter,  the  Father  of  our  Country  retired  to 
the  grove  near  his  headquarters ;  and,  spreading  his 
well-worn  army  cloak  on  the  frozen  ground,  poured 

2*  B 


18  WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

out  the  agony  of  his  tried  soul  in  prayer  to  the 
Deity.  At  that  very  moment  treason  was  doing  its 
worst  against  him.  Attempts  were  being  made  to 
supplant  hirn  in  command.  Our  oppressors  abroad, 
uniting  with  traitors  at  home,  were  doing  all  in  their 
power  to  scatter  the  Continental  forces,  and  give  up 
the  country  to  the  foe.  It  was  not  so  to  be !  The 
Valley  Forge,  while  it  was  the  dark,  icy  grave  tc 
many  of  our  early  heroes,  became,  also,  in  the  spring 
time,  the  open  door  of  hope,  from  which  sprang  forth 
new  legions  to  do  battle  for 'Eepublican  freedom. 
Well  may  it  forever  be  a  sacred  spot.  Pennsylvania 
has  many  glorious  Eevolutionary  memorials ;  but  the 
Valley  Forge  stands  first  among  them  all. 

Surrounded  by  such  associations  as  these,  Winfield 
Scott  Hancock  was  born.  The  name  given  him  at  his 
birth  was  indicative  of  the  estimate  put  on  love  of 
country  by  his  parents.  That  of  Hancock  is  associated 
with  everything  that  is  noble  and  self-sacrificing  in 
the  early  annals  of  the  Eepublic.  JOHN  HANCOCK, 
the  Massachusetts  merchant,  will  be  remembered  with 
gratitude  by  patriotic  Americans,  as  long  as  a  page 
of  the  history  of  our  land  remains.  He  was  one  of 
the  most  determined  champions  of  the  Eevolution 
that  the  American  colonies  contained.  Of  the  fore 
most  men  of  his  time,  it  was  for  him  to  say : 


PATRIOTIC  ASSOCIATIONS.  19 

u  Thy  spirit,  Independence !  let  me  share, 
Lord  of  the  lion  heart  and  eagle  eye! 
Thy  steps  I  follow  with  my  bosom  bare, 
Nor  heed  the  storm  that  howls  along  the  sky. 
Immortal  Liberty !  whose  look  sublime 
Has  blanched  the  tyrant's  cheek  in  every  varying  clime." 

Hancock  was  among  the  first,  while  yet  a  young 
man  and  in  the  possession  of  a  large  fortune,  to  strike 
a  blow  against  the  royal  oppressors  of  his  native 
land.  His  life  was  declared  to  be  forfeited,  by  a  pro 
clamation  of  the  British  Government.  But  he  escaped 
the  fury  of  a  brutal  soldiery,  to  enlist,  with  ADAMS, 
OTIS,  and  other  patriots  of  that  day,  in  the  work  of 
preparing  for  an  armed  resistance  to  foreign  aggres 
sions.  Immediately  after  the  ba.ttle  of  Lexington, he 
was  chosen  President  of  the  Provincial  Congress,  in 
Massachusetts ;  and  subsequently  to  be  the  successor 
of  Peyton  Randolph,  of  old  Yirginia,  as  President  of 
the  General  Congress,  which  met  at  Philadelphia,  and 
issued  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  July  4th, 
1776.  On  that  immortal  roll  of  worthies  his  name  must 
ever  stand  conspicuous.  The  record  there  made  was 
nobly  attested  all  through  his  life,  and  in  the  hour 
of  his  death.  Virtuous,  modest,  courageous,  learned, 
dignified,  rich,  he  gave  up  all  for  his  country;  and 
has  left  a  name  on  the  pages  of  history  which  every 


20  WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

American  may  well  aspire  to  imitate  and  be  proud 

to  honor. 

• 

Coupled  with  the  name  of  HANCOCK,  the  subject 
of  our  biography  bears  that  of  WINFIELD  SCOTT. 
It  is  a  pleasure  to  be  able  to  record  here  the  fact  that 
the  venerable  Lieutenant-General  acknowledged  the 
compliment  paid  him,  and  very  often  expressed  his 
deep  personal  interest  in  the  career  of  the  Pennsyl 
vania  boy,  who  still  so  worthily  bears  his  distin 
guished  name. 


CHAPTER  II. 

fhe  Schoolboy  Days  of  Hancock  —  His  early  Military  Predilection* 
—  His  Youthful  Friendships — The  Permanent  Impress  of  a  good 
Home  Moulds  Ms  Character—"  Why,  that  big  Boy  out  there  Tried 
to  Whip  Me,  and  I  wasn't  going  to  let  Him.'' 

WE  must  now  introduce  the  reader  to  the  home 
of  Winfield,  at  Norristown.     It  was  the  year 
1835.     His  father  was  at  that  time  a  school  teacher, 
and  engaged  in  fitting  himself  for  the  profession  of 
the  law.     The  home  of  the  boy  was  a  good  one. 

How  much  is  included  in  these  few  short  words ! 
The  true  homes  of  America  are  its  chief  glory.  They 
are  the  only  sure  social  foundations  of  the  Kepubli- 
can  temple.  In  every  such  country  the  boys  of  to 
day,  when  properly  qualified,  are  the  electors  of  to 
morrow.  As  they  decide  the  franchise,  so  the  destinies 
of  the  nation  may  be  decided.  An  American  b'oy, 
rightly  educated,  may  justly  aspire  to  any  position 
within  the  compass  of  man  to  attain,  or  of  man  to 
bestow.  Hence  the  incalculable  importance  of  early 
instruction  in  America ;  hence  the  immense  interests 

(21) 


'22  WIN  FIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

of  society  and  government  that  cluster  around  the 
hearth  and  shrine  of  the  American  home. 

Such  was  the  home  of  "Winfield.  His  parents 
were  sincere  Christians.  The  altar  of  worship  stood 
like  a  sanctuary  within  their  doors ;  and  every  day 
their  family  bowed  with  them  before  it.  Morning 
and  evening  the  incense  of  devotion  ascended  from 
that  house.  Nor  did  this  hallowed  home  influence 
stop  at  the  threshold.  Impressed  on  the  memory  and 
heart,  it  went  out  into  the  duties  of  life.  It  made 
itself  a  motive  in  their  thoughts,  heard  in  their 
voices,  and  felt  in  their  actions.  It  was  not  irresisti 
ble  ;  it  was  not  all-controlling ;  but,  like  the  subtle 
air,  it  penetrated  to  every  spot ;  and  even  if  its  pres 
ence  could  not  always  regulate,  it  was  always  acknow 
ledged  as  able  to  do  so,  if  its  inherent  power  for  good 
should  be  allowed  free  sway. 

It  was  in  the  domain  of  such  a  home  as  this  that 
Winfield  received  his  earliest  impressions  of  charac 
ter.  The  uniform  record  of  him,  in  his  boyhood, 
is,  that  he  was  obedient  to  his  parents,  truthful  and 
courteous,  cheerful,  sociable,  and  manly. 

A  gentleman  sitting  in  the  office  of  Winfield's 
father,  heard  quite  a  tumult  among  the  boys  in  the 
street.  There  were  shouts  and  other  signs  of  per- 


HIS  BOYHOOD.  23 

Bonal  conflict,  which  drew  Mr.  Hancock  and  his  friend 
to  the  door. 

"  Come  here,  my  son,"  said  the  father,  calling  out 
Winfield  from  the  crowd. 

The  boy  immediately  obeyed,  and  came  marching 
directly  to  the  office  door,  his  flushed  face  turned  full 
on  that  of  his  father. 

"What  is  the  matter,  Winfield?"  inquired  Mr. 
Hancock. 

"  Why,  that  big  boy,  out  there,  tried  to  whip  me ; 
and  7  wasn't  going  to  let  him  /" 

"  But  he  is  a  great  deal  larger  than  you  are,  my 
son." 

"  I  know  he  is,  father ;  but  he  shan't  whip  me,  for 
all  that!" 

It  required  some  skill  on  the  part  of  Mr.  Hancock, 
aided  by  his  visitor,  to  convince  the  lad  that  it  was 
not  his  duty  to  go  out  and  resume  the  fight,  against 
all  odds. 

Another  domestic  scene,  of  an  entirely  different 
character,  serves  further  to  illustrate  the  boy. 

Winfield  and  Hilary  had  come  in  together  in  the 
evening  —  for,  being  twins,  they  were  then  very  sel 
dom  separate  —  and  found  their  mother  engaged  in 
family  affairs  that  would  require  hgr  to  remain  up  to 


24  WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

a  late  hour.  The  father  was  necessarily  absent,  and 
she  was  alone  with  the  children.  . 

The  two  little  boys  moved  about  the  house,  attend 
ing  to  their  tasks,  as  usual,  until  the  time  came  to 
retire.  The  rooms  were  all  still,  save  that  in  which 
the  mother  was  engaged.  The  streets  were  almost 
vacant,  and  nearly  quiet.  The  boys  stood  and  looked 
at  each  other.  They  were  tired  of  play.  They  had 
finished  their  studies.  They  had  done  their  home 
errands.  Both  of  them  saw  at  a  glance  the  state  of 
the  case ;  and,  simultaneously,  they  hit  on  a  happy 
expedient.  They  immediately  called  a  council  of 
two  —  a  twin  council  of  twin  brothers  —  and  unani 
mously  decided  the  following  propositions : 

First.  It  is  the  decision  of  this  council  that  mother 
is  not  to  be  allowed  to  sit  up  alone. 

Second.  The  council  will  sit  up  with  her. 

Third.  The  council  shall  divide  the  time  into 
watches  of  one  hour  each. 

Fourth.  Each  member  of  the  council  shall  keep 
awake  one  hour,  and  sleep  one  hour,  watch  and 
watch,  until  mother  puts  us  to  bed. 

These  articles  of  agreement,  having  been  duly  as 
sented  to  by  both  the  high  contracting  parties,  were 
faithfully  carried  out;  until  both  members  of  the 


HIS  BOYHOOD.  25 

council,  at  a  late  hour,  were  tenderl}  led  to  their 
youthful  slumbers. 

The  attachment  existing  between  Winfield  and  his 
schoolmates  developed  itself  in  a  great  variety  of 
ways,  reflecting  credit  on  his  juvenile  propensities. 
He  was  always  regarded  as  a  leader  among  the  boys 
at  Norristown.  When  the  time  came  to  organize 
the  occasional  village  accompaniment  of  an  amateur 
boy  militia,  he  was  at  once  selected,  by  common  con 
sent,  to  hold  the  distinguished  post  of  captain.  The 
memory  of  this  little  body  of  Home  Guards  is  cher 
ished  with  pride  by  many  of  its  members,  to  this 
day.  The  matrons  look  back  with  pleasure  on  the 
fact  that  their  hands  helped  to  equip  the  juvenile  sol 
diers  ;  and  that  when  they  appeared  on  parade,  with 
mimic  colors  and  music  of  tiny  drum  and  flageolet, 
they  cheered  them  on  their  marches,  and  served 
them  freely  with  the  required  rations  of  lemonade 
and  doughnuts. 

The  haymows  and  orchards  in  Norristown  and 
vicinity  will  bear  witness  to  the  innocent  raids  of 
these  budding  patriots.  In  justice  to  them,  it  must 
be  added  that  their  depredations  were  never  of  a 
very  serious  character.  They  were  generally  wel 
come  whenever  they  entered  cheir  temporary  bar 
racks,  or  camp-grounds;  and  usually  found  ample 
8 


26  W1NFIELD    THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

opportunities  to  display  their  imitation  martial  deeds. 
Captain  Winfield  —  perhaps  owing  to  the  significant 
fact  that  he  bore  the  name  of  the  then  principal  gen 
eral  of  the  United  States  army  —  always  '  ruled  the 
roster,'  whether  it  assumed  the  form  of  a  brigade,  a 
regiment,  or  a  battalion.  His  military  experience, 
at  the  ripe  age  of  twelve  years,  carried  him  triumph 
antly  through  every  duty,  —  muster,  parade,  drill, 
inspection,  and  review.  His  personal  appearance 
always  commanded  respect,  at  the  head  of  his  little 
troop.  One  peculiarity  of  paternal  reverence  often 
saved  him  trouble  in  the  way  of  discipline.  He 
always-  handed  offenders  over  to  their  mothers.  This 
was  a  capital  idea  of  Captain  Winfield's.  It  not  only 
enabled  him  to  avoid  all  the  vexations  of  a  court-mar 
tial,  but  it  gave  satisfaction  to  all  concerned ;  for  if  a 
good  mother  cannot  bring  a  soldier  to  terms,  who 
can? 

The  boy-circle  of  Winfield  in  Norristown  had  its 
social  singing-school.  Here,  again,  his  companions 
clustered  around ;  for  he  was  as  popular  in  musical 
as  he  was  in  military  affairs.  His  aid  was  especially 
valuable  in  this  association,  for  its  general  manage 
ment  was  conferred  on  his  father,  as  chairman  of  a 
committee.  On  one  occasion,  when  the  singing-books 
were  being  given  out,  it  so  happened  that  a  soiled 


HIS  BOYHOOD.  27 

<iopy  fell  into  the  hands  of  a  playmate  of  Winfield. 
Before  he  was  aware  of  the  defacements,  the  lad  bad 
written  his  name  in  the  book,  and  thus  it  was  too 
late  to  change  it. 

"Leave  this  matter  to  me,"  said  Winfield ;  "I'll 
see  what  can  be  done.  -You  shall  have  a  good  book 
in  the  place  of  this." 

"Thank  you,"  replied  his  school-fellow;  "but  how 
will  you  do  it  ?" 

"Let  me  manage  that,"  Winfield  quietly  added — 
"  you  may  be  sure  I  will  do  it  right ;  for  father,  you 
know,  is  committee-man." 

Without  saying  more,  he  took  the  soiled  volume, 
and  carefully  erased  the  name  his  fellow-scholar  had 
written  in  it.  He  then  placed  the  book  back  in  the 
pile,  where  he  knew  it  must  pass  through  the  careful 
hands  and  under  the  scrutinizing  eye  of  his  father. 

The  time  came.  The  school  was  all  assembled  and 
seated.  The  books  were  again  to  be  given  out.  Mr. 
Hancock  passed  them,  as  usual,  giving  to  each  scholar 
his  book,  with  his  name  in  it.  Directly  he  caine  to 
the  soiled  one.  The  name  was  erased ! 

"Who  erased  this  name?"  quietly  asked  the  dig 
nified  chairman  of  the  committee,  holding  up  the 
book,  and  showing  the  defaced  page. 


28  WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

"  I  did  it,  sir/'  promptly  replied  Winfield;  standing 
up  in  his  place.  % 

"  What  did  you  do  it  for  ?"  continued  the  father. 

"Because  I  didn't  want  that  boy  to  have  a  soiled 
book,  when  I  knew  there  were  plenty  of  good  ones, 
not  used." 

Mr.  Hancock  looked  an  instant  at  Winfield,  and, 
with  a  calm  smile,  put  back  the  soiled  book  in  its 
place  behind  him.  Giving  the  school-mate  a  perfect 
copy,  he  added : 

"  Take  your  seat,  Winfield." 

That  simple  act  of  the  lawyer's  son  spoke  volumes. 
His  attachment  for  his  comrade  determined  his  pur 
pose  to  do  him  a  favor.  He  was  ready  to  do  it,  even 
if  he  had  to  ask  it  publicly  of  his  father  —  a  com 
manding  gentleman,  the  personification  of  dignity, 
especially  when  presented  to  a  school  of  youth,  to 
supervise  their  treatment  of  books.  The  promptness 
of  his  response  to  the  question  of  his  father,  in  the 
presence  of  the  school,  resulting  in  the  protection  of 
his  school-fellow  and  obtaining  him  the  desired  book, 
strikingly  illustrates,  through  the  boy,  the  genius  and 
energy  of  the  man. 


CHAPTER  III. 

The  M'mic  Battles  of  his  Boyhood  Foreshadow  his  Gallant  Careef 
—  His  Noble  Defence  of  a  Young  Playmate,  and  their  Meeting  in 
after  Years,  when  Both  had  earned  Distinction — "A  Good  Sol 
dier  Knows  no  Party  but  his  Country" 

IT  in  the,  opinion  of  those  who  knew  Winfield  best 
in  his  boyhood,  that  he  chose  the  military  life 
from  f.n  inherent  love  of  it.  At  that  early  period  of 
which  we  are  now  writing,  he  could,  of  course,  have 
no  idea  of  what  was  before  him.  His  parents  had 
not  the  slightest  intention  of  devoting  him  to  the 
profession  of  arms.  When,  on  pleasant  Saturday 
afternoons,  released  from  the  confinement  of  the 
school-room,  he  gathered  his  fellow-sqholars  around 
him,  and,  with  music  and  banners,  marched  and  coun 
termarched  with  them  through  the  streets  of  the  then 
comparatively  small  village  of  Norristown,  little  did 
his  family  or  those  who  looked  on  the  mimic  parade 
imagine  that  the  modest,  cheerful,  amiable  youth  be 
fore  them  would  rise  to  the  dignity  of  a  Major 

.3*  (29) 


30  WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON". 

General  in  one  of  the  greatest  armies  of  the  world, 
When  the  miniature  battles  followed,  the  snow-ball 
engagements,  the  hay-bank  barricades,  the  wooden 
swords  clashing,  the  corn-stalk  guns  charging,  the 
scantling  embankments  were  carried  by  stove-pipe 
artillery,  it  was  hardly  supposed  by  the  curious  spec 
tators  that  they  were  but  the  preludes  to  grand  and 
gallant  realities,  in  which  that  youthful  commander 
should  bear  so  conspicuous  and  enduring  a  part. 

In  the  juvenile  band  he  met  for  other  purposes, 
he  was  as  affectionate  and  social  as  he  was  energetic 
and  commanding  in  military  matters.  It  was  here 
that  his  genius  shone  in  a  beautiful  sphere.  He  was 
very  fond  of  scientific  experiments.  There  are  por 
tions  of  his  father's  house  that  contain  good  illustra 
tions  of  his  taste  in  this  particular, — the  original 
home-made  electric  battery,  the  collections  of  geo 
logical  and  mineral  specimens,  the  drawings,  sketch 
ings  and  paintings. 

In  the  prosecution  of  his  scientific  studies,  he  was 
happy  in  opportunities  to  administer  or  to  witness 
the  administration  and  effects  of  nitrous  oxide,  or 
exhilarating  gas.  He  was  in  the  habit  of  gathering 
with  his  twin  brother,  an  amateur  class  of  students, 
to  whom  these  and  other  experiments  always  afforded 


HIS  BOYHOOD.  31 

« 
pleasure.     Winfield  was  invariably  selected  to  be  the 

grand  lecturer  on  these  august  occasions. 


"And  still  they  gazed,  and  still  the  wonder  grew, 
How  one  small  head  could  carry  all  he  knew." 


With  him,  however,  it  was  a  serious  matter.  He 
entered  the  arena  of  science  with  a  keen  relish  for 
it,  and  a  firm  purpose  to  excel  in  it.  He  was  amused, 
with  the  rest ;  but  it  was  the  amusement  that  rejoices 
in  scientific  combinations  secured,  and  a  prognosis 
chemically  fulfilled. 

On  one  of  these  occasions,  a  playmate  whose  given 
name  was  Washington,  well  known  to  be  a  good 
singer,  was  desired  to  take  the  gas  at  the  hands  of 
Professor  Winfield.  The  attempt  to  induce  him  to 
sing,  while  under  the  influence  of  the  exhilaration, 
had  been  repeatedly  tried  by  others,  but  always  failed. 
At  length  the  juvenile  Professor  determined  to  try  his 
own  skill  in  the  case. 

Proceeding  to  administer  the  gas  slowly,  at  regular 
intervals,  he  placed  his  mouth  near  the  ear  of  the 
pupil,  and  breathed,  in  a  clear,  distinct  whisper : 

"  Sing,  Wash !  —  sing !  —  sing !  —  sing !" 

In  an  instant  the  effect  was  produced.  The  lad 
sprang  forward,  and  throwing  himself  into  the  atti 
tude  of  a  singing  master,  with  arm  erect,  as  if  beat- 


32  WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

ing  time  and  tuning-fork  in  hand,  he  began,  in  the 
old  tune  of  St.  Martin's : 


"On  Jo-ordan's  sto-ormy  ba-anks  I  stand, 

And  ca-a-st  a  wi-i-shful  eye 
To  Ca-na-an's  fai-i-r  and  ha-a-ppy  land, 
Where  my-y  posse-e-ss-ions  lie." 


"  Well  done !"  exclaimed  the  delighted  young  Pro 
fessor,  as  he  saw  his  scientific  victory ;  while  all  the 
company  joined  in  the  applause. 

It  now  came  the  turn  of  Professor  Winfield  him 
self.  What  trait  would  the  gas  make  him  display  ? 
We  shall  see. 

A  powerful  charge  of  the  subtle  element  was  admin 
istered  to  him.  On  the  removal  of  the  stop-cock,  he 
stepped  gravely  forward,  like  a  clergyman  in  a  pul 
pit,  about  to  lead  in  some  part  of  divine  service. 
There  was  a  general  disappointment,  for  a  moment. 
Pausing,  slowly,  he  remained  motionless,  his  eyes 
fixed  steadily  on  the  floor,  his  right  hand  placed 
firmly  beneath  his  chin,  his  left  foot  slightly  ad 
vanced.  In  this  position  he  remained  an  instant,  as 
if  he  were  a  statue,  when,  springing  up,  like  an  eagle, 
he  swept  across  the  area,  stretched  out  his  arms  to 
their  full  extent,  clenched  his  fists,  and  prepared  for 
active  battle.  The  nearest  portion  of  the  audience 


HIS  BOYHOOD.  o*3 

incontinently  fell  back,  or  the  threatened  blows  might 
have  caused  '  somebody  to  be  hurt.' 

Instantly,  as  the  living  effect  passed  off,  he  resumed 
his  wonted  habit  of  mingled  dignity,  courtesy,  and 
energy. 

These  characteristics  of  the  practical  student  were 
well  developed  in  Winfield.  At  the  village  academy 
he  acquired  and  maintained  the  position  of  an  honest, 
truthful,  obedient,  courageous  boy.  It  was  his  cha 
racter,  also,  in  the  community.  While  popular  with 
his  fellow  youth  and  fond  of  their  society,  there  was 
something  about  this  boy  that  led  men  of  thought 
and  reflection  to  take  an  interest  in  conversing  with 
him.  Many  a  time  was  he  received  with  pleasure  in 
the  cluster  of  the  citizens  who  were  wont  to  gather 
in  the  store  opposite  his  father's  residence,  and  *vy 
whom  the  affairs  of  the  day  were  discussed.  It  ia 
worthy  of  remembrance  that  he  loved  to  be  among 
and  listen  to  them.  He  was  never  known  to  intrude 
an  opinion  or  to  hazard  a  remark  of  his  own ;  but  as 
no  stood  there,  with  his  modest,  unassuming  manner, 
the  expressions  of  his  face,  as  conversations  pro 
gressed,  clearly  indicated  on  which  side  his  convic 
tions  were,  and  that,  if  called  upon,  he  was  ready  to 
enforce  them  by  every  means  in  his  power.  It  was 
here,  among  these  debating  and  enquiring  free  citi- 

C 


34  WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

zens,  that  Winfield  learned  some  of  his  best  concep 
tions  of  the  safeguards  of  our  country.  Here  he 
saw,  in  the  record  of  passing  events  thus  laid  before 
his  opening  mind,  the  practical  application  of  those 
vital  forces  of  which  he  had  learned  at  school,  and 
the  relative  value  of  which  he  now  beheld  wrought 
out  into  shape  by  those  before  him,  in  the  movements 
of  society.  He  learned  the  worth  of  freedom  to  all 
mankind  by  what  he  saw  of  its  enjoyment  among 
those  immediately  around  him.  Free  himself,  he 
longed  in  his  young  heart  to  give  freedom,  guided 
by  law,  to  all  the  human  race. 

He  was  now  fifteen  years  of  age.  His  progress  in 
his  studies  had  been  all  that  could  be  expected.  As 
he  advanced,  new  opportunities  were  presented  for 
the  development  of  his  powers.  The  celebration  of 
the  anniversary  of  our  national  independence  called 
him  out  in  a  new  field.  He  was  selected  to  read  the 
Declaration  in  public  on  that  day.  It  was  an  occa 
sion  of  deep  interest  in  the  town.  The  largest  church 
was  crowded  with  people,  and  the  schools  were  well 
represented.  One  of  the  pastors,  who  had  always 
expressed  pleasure  in  the  marked  genius  of  Winfield, 
when  it  was  known  that  he  was  to  be  the  reader  of 
the  Declaration,  took  him  aside  to  his  shady  garden, 
and  there  taught  him  on  what  to  lay  the  emphasip, 


HIS  BOYHOOD.  35 

where  to  pause,  -when  to  raise  and  how  to  lower  his 
voice.  It  would  be  a  graphic  picture  to  witness  that 
reverend  divine  now  calling  the  Major  General  be 
fore  him  again,  to  hear  how  he  would  to-day  delineate 
the  immortal  document  he  read  in  the  grove,  more 
than  a  quarter  of  a  century  ago,  and  which  he  has 
since  so  often  and  so  bravely  periled  his  life,  on  the 
field  of  battle,  to  maintain. 

When  Winfield  was  eleven  years  of  age,  there 
came  to  Nbrristown  a  poor  little  boy  who  was  com 
monly  called  'Johnny.'  His  father  had  died  when 
he  was  but  three  years  old,  and  he  was  placed  in 
charge  of  a  relative  of  the  family.  He  grew  up  with 
the  other  boys  of  the  place,  and  at  the  age  of  nine 
became  one  of  the  playmates  of  Winfield.  By  .de 
grees  there  was  formed  an  attachment  between  them. 
They  saw  something  in  each  other  that  they  liked. 

As  is  too  often  the  case,  not  only  with  children  but 
older  persons,  this  unfortunate  child  was  neglected, 
and  occasionally  tyrannized  over  by  his  associates. 
This  was  one  of  the  reasons  why  Winfield  resolved 
to  stand  by  him.  Having  ten  pennies  at  his  disposal 
where  Johnny  had  one,  he  made  it  a  rule,  whenever 
occasion  served,  to  divide  with  him.  When  they 
met,  before  or  after  school,  and  recreation  was  tha 
object  Winfield  would  say : 


SQ  WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SOW. 

"  Come,  Jolinnj,  I  have  some  pennies ;  let  us  go 
together  and  get  something."  ^ 

Thus  the  thoughtful  generosity  of  Winfield  and 
the  affectionate  gratitude  of  Johnny  made  both  boys 
happy. 

Sometimes  larger  boys  would  gather  around  Johnny, 
and  tantalize  and  threaten  him.  He  was  the  youngest 
and  smallest  among  them.  On  all  such  occasions, 
Winfield,  when  within  sight  or  hearing,  would 
promptly  and  bravely  come  to  the  rescue. 

"  Look  here !"  he  would  say  to  the  aggressor,  "  you 
are  larger  and  older  than  Johnny,  and  ought  to  be 
ashamea  to  take  advantage  of  him,  on  account  of  his 
age  and  size." 

"  What  business  is  it  to  you,  Winfield  Hancock  ?w 
came  the  angry  question. 

"  I  will  make  it  my  business,"  was  Winfield's  de 
cided  reply.  "Stand  your  ground,  Johnny;  they 
shan't  hurt  you !" 

Occasionally,  when  this  manly  reinforcement 
brought  threats  on  his  own  head,  he  would  boldly 
add: 

"  If  you  want  to  take  hold  of  a  boy,  why  don't  you 
find  one  of  my  size  ?  Let  little  Johnny  alone  1" 

His  magnanimous  courage  always  carried  the  day. 

It  was  in  this  spirit  that  he  obtained  that  control 


HIS  EARLY  FRIENDS.  37 

over  other  boys,  some  of  them  older  than  himself) 
that  distinguished  his  boyhood.  Yery  frequently, 
when  juvenile  difficulties  occurred,  and  it  seemed  im 
possible  to  adjust  them  amicably,  the  general  cry 
would  arise : 

"  Oh,  leave  it  to  Winfield ;  he'll  settle  it." 
The  young  judge  invariably  accepted  the  office,  and 
mounted  the  bench,  on  the  spot.     It  is  worthy  of 
record  that  his  decisions,  whatever  they  might  be, 
always  gave  satisfaction. 


In  after  years  little  Johnny  came  as  a -carpenter's 
apprentice  to  the  city  of  Philadelphia.  He  was 
still  so  poor  that  when  he  crossed  the  bridge,  then 
standing  at  the  head  of  Market  street,  he  had  but  a 
solitary  penny  in  his  pocket.  But  he  had  a  good 
trade ;  and  immediately  went  to  work.  It  was  not 
long  ere  he  was  at  the  head  of  a  gang  of  men.  By 
continued  industry  he  prospered  in  business,  and  be 
came  a  rich  man.  Entering  a  new  field,  he  was 
chosen  a  member  of  the  Philadelphia  city  govern 
ment,  and  took  his  seat  in  the  Councils,  respected  and 
confided  in  by  all  who  knew  him. 

In  the  same  course  of  time,  Winfield,  his  playmate, 
had  become  a  Major  General  in  the  Army  of  the 
United  States.  But  they  who  had  thus  been  boys 


38  WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SOX. 

together,  did  not  forget  each  other  when  they  became 
men.  It  was  the  pleasant  duty,  of  Jonx  WILLIAM 
EVERMAN.,  Esq.,  for  the  government  of  Philadelphia, 
to  introduce  a  series  of  resolutions  commending 
the  patriotism,  courage,  and  skill  of  Major  General 
W  INFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK.  These  resolutions  were 
passed  unanimously  by  both  branches  of  the  City 
Councils,  and  it  devolved  on  'little  Johnny'  to  be 
chairman  of  the  committee  that  took  them,  elegantly 
engrossed,  to  the  now  distinguished  friend  of  his 
early  years. 

The  Councilman  and  the  General  met  at  the  capital 
of  the  nation.  How  changed  the  scene  now  from 
that  of  their  boyhood  in  the  borough  of  Norristown  ! 
They  came  together,  in  the  presence  of  the  accompa 
nying  members  of  the  delegation,  in  one  of  the  par 
lors  of  Willard's  hotel.  With  what  cordiality  the 
two  playmates  greeted  each  other ! 

At  the  close  of  a  mutually  agreeable  conversation, 
the  General  said : 

"  We  meet  here,  Mr.  Everman,  in  our  official  ca 
pacities;  but,  sir,  I  desire  to  see  more  of  you.  I 
must  leave,  soon,  for  my  post  in  the  army.  Come 
and  visit  me  there,  sir ;  and  be  sure  and  make  my 
headquarters  your  home,  during  your  stay." 

This  early  friendship  of  boyhood  continued  for 


HIS  EARL  Y  FRIENDS.  39 

several  years.  It  has  been  repeatedly  revived  by 
numerous  pleasant  memorials.  When  General  Han 
cock  visited  Harrisburg,  Pennsylvania,  aiding,  by  his 
powerful  personal  influence,  in  the  great  work  of  ob 
taining  reinforcements  for  the  noble  Army  of  the 
Potomac,  he  was  waited  upon  by  Mr.  Everman,  in 
company  with  other  gentlemen  of  the  Philadelphia 
city  government.  The  pages  of  the  records  of  the 
past  were  often  reviewed  by  the  two  friends  on  this 
occasion.  It  was  here  the  General  was  informed  that 
he  was  voted  the  freedom  of  Philadelphia,  and  that 
the  sacred  area  of  old  Independence  Hall — the  room 
in  which  the  Declaration  of  American  Independence 
was  signed  — had  been  opened  to  his  use,  for  the  re 
ception  of  himself  and  his  visits  from  the  people. 

The  scenes  of  that  occasion  will  long  be  remem 
bered  in  Philadelphia.  The  honor  is  one  seldom  con 
ferred  on  any  American  citizen.  No  one  but  a  Presi 
dent  or  Ex-president  of  the  United  States,  or  a  serv 
ant  of  the  Republic  similarly  distinguished,  has  ever 
enjoyed  it.  Here,  within  these  consecrated  walls,  the 
two  friends —  Winfield  and  little  Johnny  —  enjoyed 
the  renewal  of  the  friendship  of  their  boyhood  days. 
As  the  crowd  gathered  around  him,  to  do  him  honor 
for  his  brilliant  services  on  the  field  of  battle,  to  up 
hold  the  Union  our  patriot  fathers  had  met  here  to 


40  WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

establish,  the  General  bent  down  close  to  his  friend 
and  whispered  in  his  ear : 

"You  shall  hear  from  me  again." 

A  gentleman  approaching  touched  on  the  political 
questions  of  the  day. 

"  I  know  no  politics,"  said  General  Hancock  ;  "  es 
pecially  in  such  a  presence  as  this," — looking  rever 
ently  on  the  portraits  of  the  fathers  of  the  Eepublic 
hung  around  the  old  hall  —  firmly  adding : 

"  A  good  soldier  knows  no  party  but  his  country." 
•  In  receiving  the  Philadelphia  resolutions,  forwarded 
by  Mr.  E verman,  the  same  noble  impulse  guided  the 
pen  of  the  General.  By  his  direction  they  were  en 
closed  to  Mrs.  Hancock,  at  her  residence  at  Long- 
wood,  St.  Louis  county,  Missouri,  who  acknowledged 
them  from  the  friend  of  her  husband  in  a  beautiful 
and  appropriate  letter.  A  copy  was  placed  in  the 
hands  of  the  parents  of  the  General,  and  it  orna 
mented  the  family  mansion,  overlooking  a  portion 
of  the  youthful  playgrounds  of  Winfield  and  "'Jittle 
Johnny,'  at  Norristown. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

An  Interesting  Episode  which  had  much  to  do  witl  Shaping  the 
Destiny  of  Young  Hancock  —  The  III-  Treatment  of  a  Horse  by  a 
Drayman  leads  indirectly  to  a  Cadetship  for  the  future  General. 

AT  the  time  of  which  we  are  now  writing,  there 
resided  in  a  populous  part  of  Montgomery 
county,  Pennsylvania,  a  gentleman  well  known  for 
his  extensive  influence  in  political  circles.  His 
deep  interest  in  the  arrangement  of  public  matters 
induced  him  to  take  long  and  frequent  rides  through 
different  parts  of  the  county,  and  places  adjacent. 
He  once  represented  that  district  in  the  Congress  of 
the  United  States.  His  type  of  character  led  him  to 
be  strong  in  his  likes  and  dislikes ;  to  be  decided  in 
his  friendship  and  equally  decided  in  his  enmity. 

For  quite  a  rumber  of  years,  in  the  prosecution 

of  his  profession,  he  had  employed  one  of  the  best 

horses   in   that   section  of  the  country.     With  his 

trusty  steed,  when  a  pressing  occasion  demanded,  he 

4*  (41) 


42  WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

was  accustomed  to  start  off,  at  times  in  the  middle  of 
the  night,  reach  the  dwellings  of^the  members  of  his 
party  he  desired  to  see,  rouse  them  from  their  slum 
bers,  communicate  the  intelligence  or  counsel  he 
thought  of  importance,  and  then,  after  driving  or 
riding  miles  in  his  solitary  routes  of  duty,  to  return 
to  his  office  as  the  first  beams  of  day  gilded  the  sur 
rounding  landscape.  Many  a  public  movement  has 
been  announced  in  the  papers,  many  a  political  event 
has  controlled  the  party  destinies  of  that  district,  and, 
to  some  extent,  of  the  state  and  country,  which  had 
its  unknown  origin  in  the  midnight  journeys  of  this 
Montgomery  county  traveller. 

Like  other  somewhat  eccentric  men,  having  no 
wife  to  love,  he  loved  his  horse.  The  noble  animal 
was  his  companion  in  all  these  secret  trips.  It  had 
become  accustomed  to  his  night  approaches  in  the 
comfortable  stables;  it  had  sped  for  him,  either  bear 
ing  him  on  its  back  or  drawing  him  in  his  vehicle, 
through  highways  and  byways  ;  it  had  patiently  and 
quietly  waited  for  him,  through  summer  and  winter, 
in  sunshine  and  in  storm,  at  the  places  selected  by  ita 
master  for  his  strategic  interviews ;  and  had  thus,  in 
many  ways,  enabled  him  to  accomplish  objects  that 
were  dear  to  his  heart. 

But,  strong  and  enduring  as  is  the  horse,  it  cannot 


HOW  HE  WAS  MADE  A  CADET.  43 

last  forever.  There  came  a  time  when  the  good  steed 
of  our  friend,  while  it  retained  all  its  wonted  fineness 
of  mould  and  form,  gave  signs  of  age.  While  suit 
able  for  short  excursions,  and  as  useful  as  ever  for 
occasional  drives,  it  could  no  longer  withstand  the 
long,  and  rapid,  and  repeated  journeys  to  which  for 
years  it  had  been  subjected.  The  owner,  touched  by 
the  discovery  of  the  fact,  with  a  spirit  that  did  him 
honor,  decided  to  withdraw  the  animal  from  such 
active  service.  He  took  it  to  Philadelphia,  and  pre 
sented  it  to  a  professional  acquaintance,  then  resid 
ing  there,  with  the  mutual  understanding  that  the 
faithful  creature  should  be  employed  only  in  light 
and  easy  duties  —  such  as  would  especially  benefit 
the  recipient  of  the  horse  —  until  its  death. 

Time  passed  on.  One  day,  when  the  lawyer  was 
on  a  visit  to  Philadelphia,  he  discovered,  as  he  stood 
near  the  Montgomery  Hotel,  a  handsome  horse, 
harnessed  to  a  heavily  loaded  dray,  quivering  with 
excitement  under  his  load,  covered  with  foam,  and  a 
driver  lashing  him  furiously  with  a  large  whip. 
Looking  a  moment  at  the  suffering  animal — panting 
there  in  the  dry,  dusty  streets,  in  the  middle  of  the 
month  of  July — he  perceived  it  was  his  own  former 
favorite!  Eushing  to  the  driver,  and  seizing  his 


44  W1NFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

lifted  whip,  just  about  to  descend  on  the  lacerated 
back  of  the  poor  creature,  he  exclaimed : 

"  Hold !  What  are  you  about,  flogging  that  horse 
in  that  brutal  manner?" 

The  driver  began  to  reply,  when  he  again  cried 
out: 

"  Where  did  you  buy  the  animal  ?" 

"  Of ,"  (naming  the  party  to  whom 

the  lawyer  had  presented  it.) 
,    "  What  did  you  pay  ?" 

"  Seventy-five  dollars." 

"  And  lie  took  that  money,  for  this  horse !" 

"  Yes,  sir ;  I  paid  him  cash  down  " 

"  You  did  ?  Well ;  you  may  come  down  yourself, 
now." 

The  driver  descended  from  his  dray,  and  stood, 
looking  with  wonder  at  his  questioner,  while  he,  in 
turn,  looked,  with  something  rather  different,  at  him. 

"  Now,  tell  me,"  he  resumed,  as  calmly  as  possible, 
'  why  did  you  strike  such  a  handsome  horse  in  that 
way?" 

"  I  know  it's  handsome,  sir ;  quick  yet,  in  a  light 
buggy;  but,  then,  the  critter  ain't  strong;  its  too 
old,  'squire." 

"  So,  then ;  you  cut  and  lash  a  noble  horse  because 
he's  old,  do  you .?" 


HOW  HE  WAS  MADE  A  CADET.  45 

"  I've  been  cheated,  'squire,  by  the  man  I  bought 
on." 

"  Been  cheated,  eh  ?  I  think  you  have ! 

"And  you  are  not  the  only  one  who  has  been 
cheated  about  that  horse. 

"  What  will  you  take  for  the  animal?" 

"I'll  take  a  hundred  dollars;  for  it'll  be  some 
trouble  for  me  to  get  another  who'll  sell  as  well." 

"  My  friend  I  here  are  your  hundred  dollars.  The 
horse  is  mine  —  again !  I  have  always  held  that 
beautiful  creature  to  be  worth  more  than  twice  as 
much.  I  would  not  take  five  hundred,  now !" 

"Then  you've  made  a  good  bargain,  'squire." 

"  Yes ;  a  very  good  bargain ;  tho'  I  have  been  sold, 
myself ;  but  this  is  the  last  time  this  horse  will  ever 
be. 

"  Take  it  out  of  that  dray,  as  quick  as  your  hands 
will  let  you !  Go !  get  a  dray  horse,  that  will  bear 
loading  and  thrashing  better  than  this  one !" 

The  still  wondering  drayman  instinctively  obeyed, 
and  the  horse,  yet  trembling  and  wet  with  fatigue 
and  blows,  was  led  to  the  stables  of  the  Montgomery 
Hotel,  where  several  days  and  nights  of  rest  and 
care  were  required  to  restore  the  usual  appearance 
and  qualities.  At  the  end  of  that  time  the  revived 
pet  was  again  in  its  old  home,  suitably  enlarged  for 


46  W1NFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

the  purpose,  and  receiving  its  full  share  of  wonted 
kindness. 


Now  it  happened  that  at  the  time  this  occurrence 
was  taking  place,  the  party  who  had  thus  summarily 
disposed  of  the  present  of  our  legal  friend,  removed 
a  portion  of  his  family  into  Montgomery  county. 
His  reason  for  doing  so  was  that  he  heard  a  cadet 
was  about  being  selected  there  for  West  Point,  and 
he  thought  by  that  device  to  secure  the  appointment 
for  his  son.  He  had  no  right  to  solicit  the  favor. 
He  was  not  a  resident  of  the  district,  never  had 
been,  and  never  expected  to  be.  His  temporary 
location  there  was  a  subterfuge,  a  ruse ;  as  mean  an 
act  as  his  selling  the  present  of  his  friend,  to  be 
treated  brutally  in  its  old  age. 

r  The  lawyer  discovered  the  base  trick,  as  he  had 
discovered  that  practiced  on  him  in  the  matter  of  his 
equine  favorite  ;  and,  with  his  usual  promptitude, 
determination  and  sagacity,  he  proceeded  at  once  to 
thwart  the  trickster.  We  shall  see  how  handsomely 
he  did  it.  With  the  eccentricity  and  shrewdness 
peculiar  to  him,  he  determined  that  his  horse,  who 
had  shared  with  him  in  suffering,  should  participate 
with  him  in  his  punishment  of  the  wrong-doer.  He 
at  once  mounted  the  animal,  and  proceeded  to  the 


HOW  HE  WAS  MADE  A  CADET.  47 

house  of  the  then  member  of  congress  for  that  dis 
trict,  the  Hon.  JOSEPH  FOBNANCE,  told  him  the  facts 
of  the  case,  and  took  the  steps  necessary  to  carry  his 
patriotic  plan  into  effect. 

Late  that  same  night  he  rode  up  to  the  door  of 
Mr.  B.  F.  HANCOCK,  in  Norristown.  Without  stop 
ping  to  dismount,  he  at  once  began : 

"  Good  evening,  Mr.  Hancock !" 

"  Good  evening,  sir/'  was  the  courteous  answer,  as 
Mr.  Hancock,  who  had  been  roused  from  his  sleep, 
came  to  the  steps  of  his  office. 

"  Mr.  Hancock  !  would  you.  like  to  have  your  son 
Winfield  sent  to  West  Point,  as  a  cadet  ?" 

"  Really,  sir,  I  hardly  know  what  to  reply  to  such 
a  question.  It  is  a  very  sudden  one  to  be  proposed 
at  this  time  of  night.  I  have  not  thought  of  the 
thing." 

"  Well,  I  wish  you  would  think  of  it ;  for  I  have 
it  in  my  power  to  send  him." 

"  Winfield  is  rather  young  for  such  a  position." 

"  He  is  as  old  as  the  boy  who  another  man  is  try- 
in^  to  jret  in !" 

O  G 

"  That  may  be." 

"  Yes,  sir ;  I  know  it  to  be  so !  Winfield  is  a  smart 
boy,  Mr.  Hancock ;  a  very  smart  boy;  a  great  deal 
smarter  than  that  other  one ;  he  has  the  talents  for 


4:8  WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

it,  sir;  jt  st  the  talents;  and,  if  you  will  say  the 
word,  he  thall  go." 

"  I  than  k  you  for  the  offer ;  but  you  must  grant 
me  time  tc  reflect  upon  it. 

"  Call  to-morrow  morning,  and  I  will  give  you  an 
answer." 

The  family  of  Mr.  Hancock  are  early  risers. 
They  were  up  betimes ;  and  the  cadet  consultation 
was  duly  held.  It  is  due  to  the  mother  of  Winfield 
to  record  ihe  fact  that  she  took  that  active  part  in  it 
becoming  her  position.  Unintentionally  to  herself 
she  had  nourished  some  of  the  early  military  pro 
clivities  of  the  boy.  She  had  helped  to  equip  him 
in  his  juvenile  uniform,  when  at  the  head  of  his 
miniature  company  of  Norristown  volunteers,  while 
his  father  had  been  busy  with  other  affairs.'  She 
knew  well  the  bent  of  the  mind  of  the  boy.  Win- 
field  himself  was  consulted  in  the  matter ;  and  the 
decision  was  made. 

The  pawing  hoofs  of  the  venerable  steed  on  the 
pavement  in  front  of  the  house  told  that  the  appli 
cant  for  Winfield  was  soon  again  at  the  door.  The 
moment  it  opened,  the  clear  voice  of  the  still  mounted 
lawyer  made  the  earnest  inquiry 

"  Well,  Mr.  Hancock !  what  do  you  say  ?  I  am  all 
re'xly  to  complete  the  business.  Shall  Winfield  go  ?" 


HOW  HE  WAS  MADE  A  CADET.  49 

"  Yes,  sir  1"  was  the  quiet  response. 

In  an  instant  more  the  horse  and  rider  were  gal 
loping  down  the  street,  across  the  adjacent  bridge, 
to  the  temporary  residence  of  the  incumbent  con 
gressman. 

The  secret  history  of  that  early  morning  ride  by 
that  Pennsylvania  civilian,  on  that  petted  old  horse, 
of  his  interview  with  that  member  of  congress,  of 
their  mutual  conference  and  conjectures  with  regard 
to  young  Winfield,  is  all  locked  up  in  the  past. 
What  anticipations  for  the  future  of  the  boy  glowed 
in  the  bosom  of  that  rider  are  all  buried  with  him 
in  the  grave.  All  unknown  to  us  now  are  the  hopes 
he  indulged  of  the  career  of  the  cadet ;  how  fondly 
he  may  have  imagined  him  realizing  all  his  expec 
tations  ;  succeeding  in  the  admission ;  passing  the 
ordeal  of  three  years  of  study;  receiving  his  com 
mission  and  entering  the  army  of  the  nation ;  serv 
ing  the  requisite  term  in  subordinate  positions, 
through  drill,  discipline,  and  the  privations  of  camp, 
fortress,  and  march;  encountering  hunger,  disease, 
fatigue  and  battle ;  perhaps  rising  to  eminence  among 
the  sons  of  the  Republic  who  should  graduate  with 
him  from  those  classic  and  warlike  enclosures ;  until, 
in  bright  perspective,  the  name  of  his  youthful  pro- 
6  D 


50  WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

tege  might  be  honored  and  distinguished  in  American 
military  annals. 

That  solitary  rider  on  that  patriotic  mission  passed 
near  the  hallowed  shades  of  the  Valley  Forge,  and 
the  vicinity  of  the  sanguinary  battle-ground  of  Paoli. 
The  winding  road  carried  him  beside  the  silent  grave 
of  many  a  revolutionary  hero;  dying,  unknown,  in 
the  early  struggle  of  the  colonies,  for  his  God,  for 
freedom  and  native  land.  The  little  hillocks  were 
green  with  beauty  as  he  galloped  by  them,  and  their 
sods  seemed  to  whisper  approval  to  him,  in  every 
bending  blade  of  grass.  Going  in  the  light  of  the 
morning  sun  and  returning  in  the  cool  shadows  of 
the  evening,  the  spirits  of  the  heroic  dead  seemed  to 
hover  around  him,  as  they  ever  do  around  all  con 
trolled  by  the  loftiest  purposes  of  the  human  heart. 
Beyond  were  the  hillsides  and  gorges  where  Wash 
ington,  like  an  invincible  eagle  at  bay,  gathered  his 
chosen  troops  around  him,  and  resolved  to  suffer, 
and,  if  need  be  to  die,  in  all  the  horrors  of  an  half- 
starved  and  half-naked  winter  camp,  rather  than  sur 
render  up  the  symbols  of  national  liberty  and  hope 
committed  to  his  hands  by  the  American  people. 
Here  was  the  bridle-path  he  traversed,  in  his  high 
emprise  of  duty.  There  he  had  his  headquarters  in 
the  canvas  tent.  Yonder  he  counselled  with  the  he- 


HOW  HE    WAS   MADE  A    CADET.  51 

roic  Steuben  and  Knox,  through  the  cold,  dark  nights, 
when  the  stars  lighted  up  their  vigils  at  the  altar  of 
freedom,  and  the  fires  of  the  bivouacs  of  her  armed  de 
fenders  glowed  on  the  darkness  of  their  lines  beyond. 
Born  in  the  entrenched  mountain  passes ;  sheeted  in 
the  towering  drifts  of  snow  ;  nursed  at  the  breast  of 
famine ;  shielded  by  the  bleeding  arms  of  patriots ; 
soothed  by  the  lullaby  of  the  icy  cradle  of  liberty, 
that  rung  with  steel  as  it  rocked  in  the  stormy  winds ; 
guarded  by  brave  hearts,  warm  with  the  noblest  re 
solves  that  ever  lived  in  the  souls  of  men ;  and,  above 
all,  overshadowed  by  the  outspread  wing  of  an  Al 
mighty  Protector,  the  infant  Genius  of  American  In 
dependence  here  passed  in  safety  its  first  fearful 
ordeal  of  the  Kevolutionary  War.  How  bravely  the 
native  patriotism  of  our  fathers  arose  from  that 
gloomy  sepulchre  at  the  Valley  Forge,  and  how 
sternly  it  renewed  its  proof  of  resurrection,  history 
has  abundantly  attested.  Immediately  after  these 
scenes  followed  the  deeds  of  valor  they  performed  in 
the  ensuing  spring,  at  Trenton,  on  the  banks  of  the 
Delaware ;  compelling  our  enemies,  with  all  their  su 
perior  land  and  sea  force,  to  retire  from  Philadel 
phia  ;  and  winning,  against  great  odds,  the  glorious 
victories  of  Princeton  and  Monmouth,  on  the  bloody 
sands  of  New  Jersey. 


52  WINFIELD,    THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

On  the  return  of  that  rider  to  ISTorristown,  from 
amid  such  associations  as  these^in  old  Pennsylvania, 
the  preparatory  steps  were  completed  with  Mr.  Fon- 
NANCE,  the  then  member  of  Congress  for  that  district, 
which  resulted  in  making  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HAN 
COCK  a  United  States  Cadet. 

So  singular  was  the  cause  of  the  beginning  of  his 
public  career.  The  rider  and  the  horse  are  long 
since  dead ;  but  how  mysterious  is  the  part  they  per 
formed  in  thus  preparing  the  way  of  one  of  the  most 
distinguished  of  the  military  men  of  America  I 

"  This  is  Thy  work,  Almighty  Providence ! 
Whose  power,  beyond  the  stretch  of  human  thought, 
Revolves  the  orbs  of  empire." 


CHAPTER  V. 

Winfidd  Scott  Hancock  as  a  West  Point  Cadet— He  Meets  hit  Illut- 
trious  Namesake — His  Oreditable  Progress  at  the  Academy — Hit 
Industry,  His  Truthfulness,  and  High  Sense  of  Honor — An  Illu* 
tration  of  his  Humorous  Vein  —  "  Jineing  the  Pint." 

A  MERICAN  history  will  always  endorse  the  wis- 
_1JL  dom  of  the  Father  of  our  Country  in  the  selec 
tion  of  West  Point  as  a  school  for  military  purposes. 
Washington  was  deeply  impressed  with  the  vast 
strategic  importance  of  that  post  during  the  Kevolu- 
tionary  War.  The  treasonable  attempt  of  Arnold  to 
betray  it  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy,  during  the  ab 
sence  of  the  Cominander-in-chief,  at  Hartford,  Con 
necticut,  to  confer  there  with  our  French  ally,  Eo- 
chambeau,  on  a  plan  for  the  then  ensuing  campaign 
of  1779,  has  shown  its  relative  position  as  a  means 
of  internal  defence,  in  a  very  striking  light.  It  was 
eminently  fitting  that  he  should  early  designate  this 
stronghold  as  a  suitable  spot  for  the  establishment  of 
a  school  for  the  instruction  of  American  youth  in  the 
great  work  of  national  protection.  Located  on  the 

5*  (53) 


54  WINFIELD,   THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

navigable  waters  of  the  Hudson1  river,  in  tlie  midst 
of  the  most  commanding  hills,  with  a  healthful  and 
abundant  country  immediately  surrounding  it,  having 
every  facility  for  the  construction  of  fortifications, 
the  management  of  the  engines  of  war  and  the  move 
ments  of  a  sufficient  'number  of  troops,  no  military 
institution  of  its  class  in  the  world  excels  it. 

WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK  entered  West  Point 
as  a  cadet  on  the  first  of  July,  1840,  at  the  age  of  16. 
At  that  time  there  were  among  his  fellow  cadets,  most 
of  them  his  seniors  in  age  and  entrance,  such  of  oir.1 
nation's  military  men  as  Lt.  Gen.  GRANT,  Gen^> 
JUDAII,  PLEASANTON,  -HAKDIE,  REYNOLDS,  ORD, 
INGALLS  and  AUGUR.  His  studies  were  of  a  nature 
to  develop  his  talents  in  the  right  direction.  Plans 
of  fortifications,  sections  of  embrasures,  casemates, 
cannon  and  carriages,  occupied  his  pen  and  pencil  to 
:ul vantage.  Those  who  have  seen  the  specimens  of 
die  skill  and  patient  industry  of  Winfield,  in  works 
of  this  description,  attest  to  their  excellence. 

The  personal  popularity  which  so  marked  him  at 
home  continued  with  the  young  cadet  during  the 
whole  of  his  career  at  West  Point.  He  frequently, 
after  his  graduation,  expressed  the  opinion  that  he 
entered  the  academy  too  young;  but  it  is  not  sup 
posed  that  many  agree  with  him. 


HIS  CAREER  AT  WEST  POINT.  56 

While  at  West  Point  he  was  seen  and  conversed 
with  for  the  first  time  by  General  SCOTT.  It  was  the 
pleasure  of  the  chieftain  to  express  his  satisfaction  at 
the  progress  the  modest  youth  was  making.  His 
kind  expressions  on  that  occasion  will  always  be  re 
membered  by  all  who  heard  them. 

The  studies  and  service  of  West  Point  embrace  a 
practical  period  of  three  years.  During  each  term 
the  cadet  is  regarded,  as  he  was  at  his  entrance,  as  a 
soldier  of  the  nation,  sworn  to  her  defence  by  force 
of  arms  for  four  years  after  the  time  of  his  gradua 
tion,  and  then  to  be  held  as  indirectly  expected  to 
do  duty  under  her  colors.  As  he  advances  in  studies 
he  increases  his  military  drill  and  practice ;  passes 
through  tests  in  the  different  arms  of  infantry,  cav 
alry,  and  artillery ;  and  learns,  by  actual  service  in 
amateur  camps,  the  value  of  exercise,  drill  and  dis 
cipline  in  the  manual  of  arms,  the  camp,  and  the 
field.  Experience  has  now  abundantly  proved  the 
practical  value  of  this  national  military  school. 

These  are  not  the  pages  on  which  to  record  any 
additional  testimonies  in  favor  of  the  usefulness  of 
West  Point  Academy  to  the  nation.  The  war  of 
1812,  through  all  its  vicissitudes,  attested  the  fact; 
it  was  repeated  again  in  Mexico ;  and  it  has  been  fre 
quently  and  strongly  reaffirmed  during  the  national 


56  WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

conflict  with  the  great  rebellion  of  '61-4.  If  some 
of  the  sons  of  the  Republic,  educated  carefully  at  her 
expense  at  West  Point,  have  ungratefully  turned 
against  her,  and  cruelly  stung  the  bosom,  that  warmed 
them  into  military  life,  the  great  body  of  the  cadets 
have  been  and  still  are  bravely  true  to  the  glorious 
ensign  of  the  Union. 

The  dry,  quiet  humor  of  Winfield  developed  itself 
at  West  Point,  as  it  did  in  his  boyhood  at  Norris- 
town.  In  spite  of  all  conventional  rules,  it  would 
occasionally  find  vent  in  various  ways.  One  of  these 
humors  of  the  cadets  in  which  he  took  part  was  to 
welcome  outsiders,  who  were  sometimes  under  the 
impression  that  they  had  only  to  offer  themselves  at 
the  gates  and  they  would  be  admitted  at  once  to  entei 
the  ranks.  This  delusion  was  humorously  dispelled 
by  the  accompanying  engraving,  which  was  designed 
and  drawn  by  Cadet  Hancock.  (See  engraving, 
"JiNEiNG  THE  PINT.")  It  is  introduced  here  not 
merely  to  show  one  of  the  pleasantries  of  the  Acad 
emy,  but  the  talents  of  General  Hancock,  as  a  deline 
ator.  In  the  West  Point  Album,  that  has  been  po 
litely  placed  at  our  disposal  for  the  purpose,  are 
several  other  original  specimens  of  his  genius  as  an 
amateur  artist,  while  the  large  drawings  of  forts, 
navy  yards,  and  arsenals,  display  in  a  favorable 


HIS  CAREER  AT  WEST  POINT.  57 

light  his  scientific  attainments.  Among  these  \re 
have  several  elegantly  drawn  and  finely  colored  out 
lines  of  public  buildings,  at  West  Point,  and  national 
works  at  other  places,  with  sketches  of  nature,  cha 
racters  and  scenes  that  do  marked  credit  to  his 
talents 

The  youth  of  our  country,  who  aspire  to  do  her 
service — and  what  true  American  youth  does  not  ? — 
may  well  profit  by  the  juvenile  example  and  cadet 
experience  of  Winfield  Hancock.  He  had  no  advan 
tages  over  many  a  lad  reading  these  pages.  He  had 
to  contend  with  the  same  obstacles  that  beset  others. 
The  secret  of  his  success,  thus  far,  was  that  he  was 
obedient  to  his  parents ;  he  was  found  in  his  place  at 
school ;  he  profited  by  the  examples  set  before  him 
by  his  Christian  parents ;  he  neither  despised  nor 
shunned  the  duties  connected  with  the  instructions 
of  the  holy  day ;  he  learned  to  prize  honesty,  virtue, 
truth,  magnanimity,  as  above  all  price ;  and  when, 
therefore,  he  entered  the  trying  arena  of  a  great  na 
tional  military  institution,  to  contest  foi  the  guerdons 
of  learning,  self-control,  position  and  power  among 
men,  he  was  in  a  good  measure  prepared  for  tho 
ordeal. 

Young  American  readers !  the  destinies  of  this 
great  nation  are  soon  to  be  committed  to  your 


58  WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

hands.  You  are  to  frame  and  execute  its  laws ;  to 
raise,  equip,  and  maintain  its  defences ;  to  educate  its 
masses,  of  which  you  yourselves  are  to  be  a  part ;  to 
3arn  and  manage  its  finances ;  to  produce  its  crops, 
conduct  its  manufactures,  display  its  arts,  sail  its  ships, 
and  represent  it  in  all  foreign  lands.  In  a  short  time 
you  are  to  fill  the  places  of  your  fathers,  who,  in  a 
single  generation  of  thirty  years,  will  have  all  passed 
away. 

Be  worthy,  then,  as  WINFIELD  was,  of  the  high 
trust  about  to  be  consigned  to  your  control.  Be  up 
right,  be  industrious,  be  obedient,  be  patriotic ;  and 
you  wil  be  fitting  sons  of  the  great  American  Re 
public. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

A.  Brief  Sketch  of  Montgomery  County,  Rich  in  its  Revolutionary 
Associations  —  A  County  to  be  proud  of,  and  a  County  that  w 
proud  of  its  Distinguished  Son,  the  Present  Nominee  for  the  Pres 
idency  of  the  United  State*. 

THBEE  is  much  of  deep  historical  interest  in  old 
Montgomery  county,  Pennsylvania.  Before 
young  WINFIELD,  one  of  her  choicest  native  sons, 
had  gone  from  her  abode  to  his  cadetship  at  West 
Point,  before  he  had  begun  to'  reflect  lustre  on  her 
name  by  his  brilliant  and  patriotic  career,  the  history 
of  the  county  was  well  worthy  of  honorable  mention. 
The  settlement  of  this  county  was  one  of  the  ear 
liest  in  the  central  part  of  the  United  States.  As 
long  ago  as  1640,  nearly  half  a  century  before  the 
grant  of  William  Penn  was  given  to  the  f  **st  English 
proprietors,  there  were  settlers  along  the  banks  of  the 
Schuylkill  and  its  tributaries,  beyond  the  present 
boundaries  of  Norristown.  The  Hollander,  the 
Swede,  the  Welshman,  'ihe  German,  the  Englishman, 
were  its  primeval  colonists,  following  in  the  track  of 
the  Algonquin,  who  then  held  supreme  sway  over  all 

(59) 


60  WINF1ELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

the  land,  from  the  Hudson  to  the  Delaware,  and  from 
the  Catskills  to  the  Alleghenies. 

Opened  to  civilization,  it  was  separated  from  Phila 
delphia  in  1784.  It  covered  an  area  of  317,440  acres 
—  the  manor  of  Norriton,  now  the  borough  of 
Norristown,  then  embracing,  in  the  grant  of  William 
Penn  to  his  son,  7,482  acres.  The  whole  of  this  town 
site  was  valued,  in  1704,  at  a  little  over  $3,000.  The 
present  extent  of  the  county  is  30  miles  in  length, 
17  miles  in  breadth,  and  490  square  miles.  Its  pop 
ulation  at  the  last  census  was  81,612. 

No  county  in  Pennsylvania  has  justly  more  pride 
"of  character  than  Montgomery.  Its  founders  were 
men  of  tenacious  religious  faith,  fixed  purpose,  great 
industry,  and  determined  perseverance.  In  the  inte 
rior  townships  there  are  many  of  the  people  who 
hold  to  the  language  which  their  ancestors  brought 
across  the  ocean,  with  a  tenacity  that  no  changes  of 
time,  no  inroads  of  progress,  can  relax.  The  tongues 
their  fathers  spoke  centuries  ago  they  speak  to-day. 
A  quiet,  rural,  thriving  people,  they  are  successful  in 
their  pursuits  and  hospitable  to  strangers.  Around 
them,  and  all  through  the  valley  of  the  Schuylkill, 
the  advance  of  the  age  has  been  steadily  onward 
The  navigable  streams;  the  manufacturing  water 
courses  ;  the  mines  of  iron,  coal,  and  lead ;  the  quar- 


HIS  NATIVE  COUNTY.  61 

ries  of  marble,  limestone,  slate,  and  sandstone ;  the 
foundries,  kilns,  factories,  and  forges,  filling  the  rail 
way,  the  river  and  the  canal  with  their  busy  fruits 
of  enterprise ;  all  unite  to  present  a  picture  of  Mont 
gomery  which  the  historian  is  grateful  to  be  able  to 
record. 

There  are  parts  of  this  county  that  must  ever  be 
gloriously  memorable  in  revolutionary  annals.  In 
1777,  after  the  defeat  of  the  American  army  at  Bran- 
dywine,  the  region  of  Montgomery  was  much  fre 
quented  by  Washington  and  his  patriot  troops.  On 
the  17th  of  September,  of  that  year,  the  Americans 
moved  to  the  north,  toward  the  Schuylkill,  by  way 
of  Yellow  Springs,  and  encamped  on  the  Perkiomen. 
All  this  spot,  from  Parker's  Ford  to  Norristown,  from 
Norristown  to  Swedes'  Ford,  from  Swedes'  Ford  to 
Perkiomen,  from  Perkiomen  to  Whitemarsh,  from 
Whitemarsh  to  Paoli,  from  Paoli  to  theYalley  Forge, 
is  now  sacred  ground.  It  is  to  be  remembered  for 
ever  as  one  of  the  oldest  battle-fields  of  liberty. 

The  encampment  of  Sir  William  Howe,  when 
Washington  was  fighting  him  for  the  protection  of 
Philadelphia,  was  at  one  time  on  the  present  site  of 
Norristown.  Washington  was  at  that  moment  but  a 
few  miles  above.  The  cruel  massacre  of  Paoli  might 
have  been  shared  by  the  then  little  settlement  of  Nor- 


62  WINF1ELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

ristown,  but  for  the  special  interposition  of  the 
Almighty.  An  unexpected  storm  changed  the  whole 
nature  of  the  campaign,  and  led  the  way  for  the  with 
drawal  of  the  enemy  from  that  section  of  the  country. 

The  remains  of  the  revolutionary  breastworks  at 
Swedes'  Ford  will  always  stand  as  a  memorial  of  the 
stubborn  defence  made  against  invasion  by  our  pa 
triot  fathers.  It  was  here  the  foreign  invaders  were 
met,  and  the  fording  of  the  troops  of  Washington 
protected.  Only  a  short  distance  from  this  line  of 
the  county  of  Montgomery,  the  Father  of  our  Coun 
try  passed,  with  his  brave  little  army,  to  those  terri 
ble  scenes  at  the  Valley  Forge,  of  which  we  have 
spoken  in  previous  chapters.  It  was  over  this  soil, 
now  forever  made  consecrate  by  their  touch,  that  the 
patriot  soldiers  tracked  their  way  in  blood  to  their 
wintry  quarters,  and  to  their  future  achievements  for 
American  indepen  lence. 

A  fitting  spot  for  the  birthplace  of  WINFIELD 
SCOTT  HANCOCK.  From  this  historic  point  we  now 
begin  to  trace  his  entrance  on  a  more  public  career. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

Win/teld  Graduates  —  His  Gallant  Career  in  the  Mexican  War  — 
Churubusco — Molino  del  Rey — Chapultepec — Toluca — The  Com 
plimentary  Resolutions  of  the  Pennsylvania  Legislature  —  The 
Fleshing  of  his  Maiden  Sword. 

ON  the  30th  day  of  June,  1844,  Cadet  HANCOCK 
graduated  at  West  Point,  standing  number 
eighteen  in  his  class.  He  was  promoted  to  a  brevet 
second  lieutenancy  in  the  Sixth  United  States  Eegu- 
lar  Infantry,  July  1st,  1844,  and  on  the  18th  of  June, 
1846,  received  his  commission  as  full  second  lieuten 
ant  in  the  same  regiment. 

His  first  posts  of  chity  in  the  army  were  in  the  far 
West — in  the  region  of  the  Washita,  on  Eed  Eiver. 
The  valley  of  the  Eed  Eiver  borders  on  the  Indian 
territory,  and  contains  extensive  prairies,  among 
which  are  large  tracts  of  fine  timber.  The  soil  is 
equal  to  any  in  the  world  for  fertility  and  durability. 
At  the  time  Lieutenant  Hancock  was  stationed  in 

(63) 


64  WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

that  quarter,  the  hostile  Indian  tribes  were  quite 
troublesome  to  the  settlers  oy  the  frontier.  It  re 
quired  skill  and  tact  as  well  as  courage  on  his  part 
to  discharge  his  important  trust  with  propriety. 

On  being  transferred  from  the  Red  River  of  the 
South,  at  Fort  Towson,  he  was  ordered  to  Fort 
Washita,  our  most  western  military  station.  He 
continued  at  this  post  in  the  discharge  of  his  rou 
tine  garrison  duties  until  the  spring  of  1847,  when, 
on  the  breaking  out  of  the  war  with  Mexico,  he  was 
ordered  with  his  regiment  to  the  front. 

His  first  part  in  battle  was  taken  on  the  20th  of 
August,  1847,  at  Churubusco.  The  army  of  the  cen 
tre,  under  General  Scott,  had  entered  Mexico,  via 
Yera  Cruz,  and  was  co-operating  with  the  army  of 
occupation,  under  General  Taylor.  The  spirit  of  the 
Mexican  government  and  people  had  been  aroused, 
war  having  been  formally  declared  against  the  United 
States.  The  victories  of  Taylor  had  signally  pre 
pared  the  way,  and  the  movements  of  our  troops 
were  onward. 

The  Sixth  United  States  Infantry,  of  which  Win- 
field  was  now  second  lieutenant,  was  in  command  of 
Colonel  J.  S.  Clarke,  in  this  battle. 

The  severe  defeat  of  Santa  Anna  at  Buena  Yista, 


HIS  FIRST  CAMPAIGN.  65 

by  General  Taylor,  had  induced  that  Mexican  chief 
to  make  the  most  extensive  preparations  for  opposing 
the  victorious  advance  of  General  Scott.  Vera  Cruz, 
the  principal  Mexican  town  on  the  seaboard,  had 
fallen ;  and,  after  winning  several  other  victories  to 
ward  the  interior,  the  army  of  the  centre  was  now  on 
its  way  to  the  capital  of  Mexico.  Two  strong  posi 
tions  had  to  be  taken  before  the  city  could  be  assaulted 
— Molino  del  Eey,  (the  King's  Mill,)  and  the  castle  of 
Chapultepec.  In  the  advance  on  this  important  point, 
Lieutenant  Hancock  drew  his  sword  in  his  earliest 
fights  for  his  country.  He  was  under  the  immediate 
command  of  Captain  Hoffman,  of  the  Sixth  Infantry. 
The  assault  was  made  on  the  works  of  the  enemy 
by  the  platoon  in  charge  of  Lieutenant  Hancock,  in 
company  with  Lieutenants  Armistead,  Sedgwick, 
Buckner,  and  Eosecrans — the  last  named  ha,ving  vol 
unteered  for  the  occasion  from  the  Fifth  Infantry. 

By  order  of  General  "Worth,  the  battalion  of  the 
Sixth  Infantry,  in  command  of  Captain  Hoffman, 
formed  in  column  and  repeatedly  charged  the  battery 
of  the  enemy.  Lieutenant  Hancock  was  now  under 
fire  for  nearly  the  first  time,  like  others  of  our  officers 
and  men.  The  Second  Artillery,  under  Captain 
Brooks  and  Lieutenants  Daniels  and  Sedgwick,  aided 
materially  in  our  assault.  The  charge  of  our  troops 
6*  E 


(56  WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

was  continued  until  the  enemy  was  driven  from  the 
field. 

At  three  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  the  8th  of  Sep 
tember,  1847,  he  moved  with  the  troops  on  the  as 
saulted  batteries.  The  grey  light  of  coming  day  had 
not  yet  tipped  the  heights  around,  when  the  two 
twenty-four-pounders  placed  in  position  opened  on 
the  solid  stone  walls  of  the  enemy.  No  reply  came ; 
and  it  was  at  first  supposed  that  the  Mexicans  had 
abandoned  the  post.  It  soon  appeared,  however,  that 
they  had  only  changed  their  place  of  defence,  and 
were  beginning,  from  a  new  and  unexpected  point,  to 
pour  grape  and  round  shot  on  our  advancing  flanks. 
It  is  inferred,  from  some  circrumstances  afterwards 
revealed,  that  the  Mexican  commander  had  been  in 
formed  of  the  manner  of  our  approach  by  foreign 
spies.  The  assault  of  the  enemy  was  severe ;  cutting 
down  our  men  in  large  numbers,  killing  and  wound 
ing  eleven  out  of  fourteen  of  our  officers,  and  a  like 
proportion  in  the  ranks.  On  perceiving  their  tempo 
rary  advantage,  the  Mexicans  rushed  on  our  lines 
with  their  usual  savage  ferocity,  and  murdered  our 
wounded  troops  in  cold  blood. 

^Reinforcements  were  now  thrown  rapidly  forward 
by  General  Worth,  who  resolutely  attacked  tLe  Mexi 
can  flank.  The  Mexican  General  Leon,  who  headed 


HIS  FIRST  CAMPAIGN.  67 

a  spirited  sortie  from  the  walls  of  Molino  del  Rey, 
was  wounded,  several  officers  of  high  rank  were 
killed,  and  the  enemy  driven  back.  The  access  to 
the  foe  was  sought  in  a  variety  of  ways.  The 
walls  were  scaled  by  our  daring  men,  the  top  of  the 
building  reached  by  cutting  holes  in  the  solid  stone, 
by  means  of  their  bayonets ;  the  main  gate  was  soon 
forced,  and  the  troops  rushed  through  with  a  shout 
that  woke  the  echoes  of  the  space  beyond.  A  combat 
ensued,  hand  to  hand.  Door  after  door  fell  before 
the  intrepid  Americans ;  rank  after  rank  of  the  Mexi 
cans  were  swept  before  them ;  until  a  white  flag  of 
surrender  appeared  on  the  battered  parapets. 

Jt  was  £  sanguinary  battle  —  by  many  considered 
the  most  so  of  any  during  the  Mexican  war.  The 
enemy  had  a  very  strong  position,  entrenched  on  a 
commanding  hill,  surrounded  by  massive  stone  walls, 
and  outnumbered  us  three  to  one.  But  we  carried 
the  post  against  all  these  odds,  capturing  eight  hun 
dred  prisoners,  although  at  a  fearful  loss  of  life  in 
our  own  ranks. 

The  next  battle  in  which  the  young  Lieutenant 
participated  was  that  of  the  castle  of  Chapultepec. 
The  edifice  stands  on  a  high,  rocky  promontory, 
nearly  precipitous,  and  commands  the  entire  country 
for  miles  around.  The  western  slope  is  the  only 


68  WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

point  where  the  approach  is  at  all  gradual,  and  this 
is  covered  by  a  dense  chapparal^and  forest,  where  the 
ground  is  ragged  with  rocks. 

On  the  13th  of  September,  of  the  same  year,  the 
battalion  of  the  Sixth  Infantry  to  which  then  Adjutant 
Hancock  was  attached,  moved  out  from  the  conquered 
post  of  Molino  del  Key  toward  Chapultepec.  It  was 
at  the  early  dawn.  The  shadows  hung  deep  from 
tree  to  tree,  from  rock  to  rock.  A  large  force  of 
Mexicans  lay  hidden  in  the  darkness.  Our  men  felt 
their  way  along,  when,  coming  all  at  once  into  a  com 
paratively  open  space,  they  found  themselves  con 
fronted  by  the  frowning  battlements  of  the  castle. 
The  fight  began  instantly.  An  American  color- 
bearer  rushed  forward  to  the  ramparts,  followed,  with 
loud  cheers,  by  a  body  of  our  men,  who  quickly 
placed  ladders  against  the  embattled  walls,  and  be 
gan  to  scale  them.  Shout  now  followed  shout  as 
the  soldiers  sprang  up  the  ladders  and  bounded  over 
the  wall,  in  the  very  face  of  the  enemy.  The  Mexi 
cans  were  taken  completely  by  surprise.  They  stood 
a  moment  in  suspense,  astonished  at  the  audacity  of 
the  Americans,  and  then  dashed  down,  some  of  them 
headlong,  over  the  precipitous  rocks.  Shot  and  shell 
poured  in  upon  the  works,  like  an  iron  torrent; 
and  it  was  not  long  ere  the  strong  castle  was  a  mass 


HIS  FIEST  CAMPAIGN.  69 

of  ruins.  -A  large  number  of  prisoners  surrendered 
to  our  gallant  troops  —  among  them  General  Bravo, 
and  the  surviving  students  of  the  Mexican  National 
Military  School. 

The  part  taken  by  the  Sixth  Infantry  in  this  bril 
liant  battle  is  worthy  of  special  mention.  It  was  all 
the  time  actively  engaged,  including  the  command 
of  Lieutenant  Hancock,  moving  out  from  Molino  del 
Eey  by  the  left  flank,  and  soon  reaching  the  grove 
at  the  base  of  Chapultepec.  A  portion  dashed  up 
the  hill  in  advance,  of  whom  Hancock  was  one — the 
remainder  joining  from  the  left  base  of  the  castle, 
whither  it  had  been  detached  to  cut  off  the  retreat 
of  the  enemy  —  until  the  whole  regiment,  with  a 
grand  huzza,  swept  into  the  thickest  of  the  fight. 
The  colors  of  the  command  were  advanced  into  the 
enclosures  of  the  castle,  and  the  troops  rallied  gal 
lantly  around  them.  Entering  the  streets  beyond, 
they  found  themselves  confronted  by  a  breastwork 
of  masonry,  and  a  large  body  of  the  enemy  posted 
oehind  it.  From  this  barricade  and  the  tower  arid 
windows  of  the  adjacent  church,  the  street  was 
swept  by  the  fire  of  artillery  and  infantry.  But  our 
men  moved  steauily  on.  They  passed  to  the  rear, 
flanking  the  Mexicans,  and  reaching  a  large  building, 
which  they  entered  by  force,  and,  commanding  the 


70  WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

balconiea  poured  their  shot  with  telling  effect  DO 
the  foe. 

The  Mexicans  were  forced  back  in  disorder,  aban 
doning  every  position  they  had  held.  Our  men  ^ow 
seized  new  points,  forcing  their  way  with  their  bayo 
nets  and  such  missiles  as  could  be  used  for  the  pur 
pose,  tearing  holes  in  the  houses  with  crowbars  and 
pickaxes,  until  they  had  formed  a  garrison  around 
them.  Every  movement  they  made  brought  their 
fire  nearer  the  enemy.  The  picked  marksmen  of  the 
Sixth,  joined  now  by  others  of  the  Eighth,  did  terri 
ble  execution.  Officer  after  officer  fell  rapidly  before 
their  deadly  aim.  The  two  opposing  forces  at  this 
moment  were  not  more  than  thirty  yards  apart  from 
each  other. 

Soon  the  disordered  Mexicans  began  to  waver ; 
then  they  broke  and  fled  up  the  streets  in  dismay, 
our  men  pursuing  with  all  their  speed.  It  was  lite 
rally  a  race  for  life.  The  crashing  of  shells,  the 
tumbling  of  walls,  the  roar  of  cannon,  the  whistling 
of  bullets,  the  shouts  of  the  advancing  victors  as 
they  rushed  through  the  sulphurous  clouds  surround 
ing  them,  the  flashes  of  their  guns  blazing  like  light 
ning  from  their  serried  ranks,  gave  the  scene  one  of 
the  most  thrilling  aspects  of  the  war.  The  hard- 


HIS  FIEST  CAMPAIGN".  71 

fought  day  was  won ;  and  the  Sixth  regiment  rested, 
with  their  comrades,  on  their  victorious  arms. 

Thus  fell  the  castle,  citadel,  and  town  of  Chapul- 
tepee.  The  Mexicans  had  barricaded  their  streets, 
intending  to  make  secure  use  of  the  barricades  and 
the  adjacent  houses  to  keep  our  men  at  bay.  They 
supposed  they  would  be  able  to  destroy  us  all,  by 
means  of  their  protected  fire.  They  had  not  calcu 
lated  on  our  leaving  these  defences  unattacked,  thus 
preventing  exposure  in  the  open  streets,  and  burrow 
ing  our  way  under  cover,  to  their  rear,  through  the 
dismantled  walls  of  their  own  houses. 

The  enemy  fought  desperately  during  this  terrible 
contest  of  four  days.  But  it  was  all  in  vain.  At  the 
end  of  the  fourth  day  the  whole  garrison  was  surren 
dered,  the  Mexicans,  as  some  return  for  their  acknow 
ledged  valor,  *being  permitted  to  march  out  with  the 
honors  of  war. 

In  the  reports  of  the  officers  in  command  of  the 
attacking  force,  the  conduct  of  Lieutenant  Hancock  is 
repeatedly  mentioned.  In  August,  1848,  he  was  bre 
veted  first  lieutenant  for  his  gallant  and  meritorious 
bearing  in  these  actions — his  brevet  dating  from  the 
20th  of  August,  1847. 

It  was  his  privilege  to  be  present  when  commis 
sioners  reached  the  American  camp  with  proposals 


72  W1NFIELD,   THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

of  peace.  Terms  of  accommodation  were  proposed 
by  them,  but  General  Scott  refused  to  listen  to  any 
but  those  of  surrender.  The  morning  following  their 
arrival,  on  the  14th  of  September,  1847,  the  old  hero, 
at  the  head  of  six  thousand  men,  regulars  and  volun 
teers,  marched  into  the  conquered  city,  and  the  colors 
of  the  United  States  waved  from  the  palace  of  the 
Montezumas. »  A  treaty  of  peace  was  negotiated  at 
Guadaloupe  Hidalgo,  on  the  2d  of  February,  1848 ; 
and  on  its  ratification  at  Washington,  which  occurred 
soon  after,  the  Mexican  war  was  brought  to  a  close. 

The  part  taken  by  Lieutenant  Hancock  in  this  war 
was  further  acknowledged  in  a  series  of  resolutions 
adopted  by  the  Legislature  of  his  native  State;  in 
which  his  name,  with  those  of  other  Pennsylvania  sol 
diers,  was  mentioned  with  honor,  and  the  document 
containing  them  placed  in  his  hands. 

He  remained  with  the  American  army  as  it  with 
drew  from  Mexico,  serving  a  portion  of  that  time 
under  Brigadier  General  Cadwalader,  at  Toluca. 
Before  leaving,  he  was  made  Eegimental  Quarter 
master  of  the  Sixth  regiment.  He  was  among  the 
last  of  our  troops  that  left  Mexico,  and  saw  the  Mexi- 
cnn  flag  take  the  place  of  ours,  when  the  city  waa 
turned  over  to  the  Mexican  government.  He  was 
nei  t  stationed  on  the  Upper  Mississippi,  at  Fort  Craw 


IS  A  GAIN  STA  TIONED.  73 

ford,  Prairie  du  Chien,  Wisconsin,  where  he  remained 
until  the  summer  of  1849. 

Fort  Crawford  is  pleasantly  situated  on  an  elevated 
part  of  Prairie  du  Chien,  on  the  site  of  the  old  French 
town  of  that  name,  overlooking  the  Mississippi  river, 
flowing  in  front  of  it.  The  rapid  settlement  and 
extension  of  our  Northwestern  frontier  having  ren 
dered  this  post  of  little  value,  in  a  military  point  of 
view,  it  was  abandoned  by  the  government  of  the 
United  States,  a  few  years  after  Lieutenant  Hancock 
left  it.  The  buildings  still  stand,  all  desolate  and 
lonely,  in  view  of  the  passer-by  on  the  river.  The 
silent  spot  is  as  quiet  now  as  it  was  when  the  Indian 
first  planted  his  foot  on  the  shore,  or  his  canoe  had 
skimmed  along  the  waters  in  front  —  an  emblem,  ac 
once,  of  the  advance  of  the  power  of  civilization  and 
the  retreat  of  the  wild  savage  before  it.  The  de 
scendants  of  the  emigrants  who  first  penetrated  these 
once  unbroken  wilds  will  call  to  mind,  as  they  look 
on  the  ruins  of  the  old  fort,  the  days  when  their 
ancestors  roamed  the  forests  beyond,  or  sped  their 
way  along  the  bosom  of  the  Father  of  Waters.  How 
changed  the  scene  in  the  rapid  march  of  years  1  The 
steamboat  is  on  the  river — the  rail-car  is  on  the  land 
• — but  the  Indian  and  the  pioneer,  where  are  they  ? 

Prairie  du  Chien  is  a  point  of  some  importance  in 
7 


74  WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

the  West.  It  has  been  for  several  years  the  western 
terminus  of  a  railway,  connecting  the  Mississippi 
with  the  East.  It  is  now  the  starting  point  of  ano 
ther  road,  running  still  further  West  through  the 
prairie  land.  The  town  is  beautifully  located,  and 
the  capital  of  Crawford  county,  Wisconsin.  It  is 
about  one  hundred  miles  west  of  Madison,  the  capital 
of  that  fine  and  growing  State. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

Promoted  to  be  Adjutant  —  Sis  Selection  of  a  Beautiful  and  Ac 
complished  Life  Partner  —  Their  two  Olive  Branches,  «nd  the  sad 
Cypres*  Wreath  —  His  good  old  Schoolmaster. 

DUKING  the  year  1849  Lieutenant  Hancock  was 
promoted  to  the  post  of  regimental  Adjutant. 
This  position  he  retained  until  the  autumn  of  1855, 
being  stationed  throughout  the  whole  of  that  period, 
six  years,  at  St.  Louis  and  Jefferson  Barracks,  Mis 
souri.  The  Barracks  are  on  the  Mississippi,  about 
twelve  miles  below  St.  Louis.  He  was  on  the  staff 
of  Brigadier  General  N.  S.  CLAKKE,  an  accomplished 
soldier  and  gentleman,  then  commanding  the  Sixth 
Infantry,  and  with  whom  he  had  served  in  Mexico. 

On  the  24th  of  January,  1850,  he  was  married  to 
Miss  ALMIKA  EUSSELL,  daughter  of  Mr.  SAMUEL  Bus- 
SELL,  a  much  esteemed  merchant  of  St.  Louis.  She 
is  a  lady  of  good  sense  and  accomplishments,  worthily 
filing  the  position  she  has  been  called  to  occupy. 

(75) 


76  WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYERS  SON. 

Two  children  were  the  result  of  this  marriage  —  a 
son  named  KUSSELL,  after  his  grandfather,  and  a 
daughter,  ADA  ELIZABETH,  who,  to  the  deep  grief 
of  her  parents,  died  on  Governor's  Island  when  just 
of  an  age  to  enter  society.  Her  loving  mother's 
heart  is  even  yet  in  that  grave,  and  many  a  silent  tear 
will  yet  dim  the  lustre  of  her  noble  husband's  ad 
vancement  in  life. 

In  the  month  of  November,  1855,  through  the  ex 
ertions  of  the  Honorable  JOHN  CADWALADER,  (then 
member  of  Congress  for  the  district  in  which  his 
birth-place  is  situated,)  he  was  appointed  an  Assist 
ant  Quartermaster,  with  the  rank  of  Captain. 

In  the  summer  of  1842,  while  yet  a  cadet,  Winfield 
first  returned  home  from  West  Point — a  furlough  of 
two  months  being  allowed  each  cadet  in  the  middle 
of  the  four  years'  term.  It  was  pleasant  to  the  young 
officer,  now  about  eighteen  years  of  age,  to  revive  the 
scenes  of  his  boyhood.  He  had  not  forgotten  home. 
His  father  had  accompanied  him,  two  years  before, 
as  he  entered -the  Academy,  and  he  now  greeted  him, 
with  the  mother  by  his  side,  to  the  dear  homestead 
of  other  days.  Instructions  and  counsels  were  re 
newed.  The  worship  at  the  family  altar  revived  the 
sacred  impressions  of  truth  within  his  heart.  Here, 
too,  the  proofs  of  his  earlier  devotion  to  science  were 


REVISITS  HOME.  77 

reviewed;  the  specimens  lie  had  labelled  were  re- 
examined ;  the  home-made  galvanic  apparatus  he  had 
helped  to  construct,  and  which  had  served  to  illustrate 
his  private  lectures  before  his  classmates,  and  his 
more  public  performances  in  the  old  academy  then 
on  Airy  street,  was  tenderly  handled,  and  carefully 
readjusted,  ere  it  was  passed  by  in  silence ;  and  the 
whole  paraphernalia  of  his  incipient  love  of  learning 
were  more  safely  placed  away  in  the  recesses  of  the 
family  mansion. 

The  large,  two-storied  brick  building  on  Airy  street, 
Norristown,  will  long  be  remembered  as  the  spot 
where  Winfield  and  his  associates  of  early  days  went 
to  school.  It  was  situated  at  the  end  of  DeKalb 
street,  looking  down  the  whole  length  to  the  bridge 
crossing  the  Schuylkill,  half  a  mile  in  front.  The 
site  was  commanding,  and  well  adapted  for  such  a 
purpose.  The  view  on  all  sides  was  very  fine.  The 
town  lay  on  the  gentle  slope  beneath,  with  here  and 
there  a  spire  jutting  up  against  the  sky,  in  the  fore 
ground.  At  the  sides  and  in  the  rear  the  cultivated 
fields  and  gardens  spangled  the  landscape  vith  grass 
and  flowers,  while  overhanging  trees  skirted  the 
edges  with  their  variegated'  fringes  of  beauty.  The 
lovely  Schuylkill  swept  gently  on  in  the  distance,  its 
surface  dotted  by  an  occasional  boat,  and  its  mirrored 
7* 


78  WINFIELD.    THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

waters  reflecting  the  multiplying  and  ever-changing 
pictures  of  earth  and  sky.  Tfce  modest  hills  stood 
silent  beyond,  clad  in  their  sweet  robes  of  misty  blue, 
as  if  reluctant  to  cast  their  shadows  too  long  or  too 
deeply -on  the  quiet  rural  scene.  Happy  school-boy 
days !  Who  can  forget  them  ?  Who  would  forget 
them,  if  he  could  ? 

The  principal  of  the  academy,  in  the  period  when 
Winfield  was  one  of  its  scholars,  was  Mr.  ELIPHALET 
ROBERTS — now  living  at  1516  Wellington  St.,  Phila. 
His  interest  in  his  favorite,  Winfield,  was  always 
strong  and  deep.  We  shall  have  occasion,  in  the 
course  of  these  pages,  to  show  with  what  propriety 
General  HANCOCK  recognized  the  teacher  of  his  boy 
ish  years,  when  we  come  to  speak  of  his  public  re 
ception  in  thdt  city,  during  his  visit  of  the  year  1863. 

Mr.  Koberts  was  succeeded  in  the  academy  and  as 
a  teacher  to  Winfield  by  Mr.  WILLIAM  HOUGH,  who 
was  himself  deeply  interested  in  scientific  subjects, 
and  who  took  peculiar  pleasure  in  fostering  Win- 
field's  love  of  chemistry  and  electricity. 

When  the  Norristown  High  School  was  established, 
under  the  superintendence  of  Mr.  ASHBEL  Gr.  HARNED, 
Jr. — a  gentleman  who  was  very  popular  and  success 
ful  as  a  teacher — Winfield  was  among  his  most  favor 
ite  pupils.  He  remained  at- this  school,  making  goo'd 


REVISITS  HOME.  79 

v- 

progress  in  his  studies,  -until  just  previous  to  hia 
leaving  home  to  become  a  cadet. 

But  with  all  these  scholastic  advantages,  let  it 
never  be  forgotten,  especially  by  our  young  readers, 
that  very  much  that  Winfield  was,  and  now  is,  he 
owes  to  the  influence  and  instructions  of  home.  Both 
his  parents  were  deservedly  much  respected  for  their 
great  moral  and  religious  worth  ;  for  their  useful  and 
unselfish  lives.  Their  part  in  life  was  an  unselfish 
and  an  earnest  one — whether  for  the  benefit  of  their 
family  or  mankind  at  large.  In  the  pursuit  of  busi 
ness,  in  the  performance  of  duties  of  every  kind ; 
superintending  or  teaching  in  the  Sunday  school, 
which  was  at  the  distance  of  a  mile  from  their  resi 
dence,  across  the  river ;  attending  to  the  intellectual 
wants,  the  spiritual  aspirations  of  scores  of  these  dis 
tant  children,  through  the  heat  of  summer  and  the 
cold  of  winter ;  visiting  the  sick,  caring  for  the  poor, 
relieving  the  oppressed ;  thus  were  the  lives  of  the 
honored  father  and  mother  of  Winfield  ripening  into 
the  fruitage  of  holy  deeds,  and  preparing  for  the 
awards  of  a  glorious  immortality.  The  chief  charac 
teristics  of  his  father  were  energy,  perseverance,  cau 
tion,  sound  judgment,  and  good  sense.  His  opinions 
have  ever  bee*n  highly  valued  by  all  who  knew  him. 
No  man  had  been  more  frequently  called  to  adjudicate 


80  W1NFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

responsible  cases,  bo  allay  exciting  difficulties,  to  set 
tle  estates,  or  to  manage  the  trust  funds  of  the  people. 
The  life  of  Benjamin  Franklin  Hancock  is  an  honor 
to  his  name. 

Airs.  Hancock,  the  mother,  possessed  equally  mark 
ed  traits  of  character,  of  a  different  type.  A  kinder, 
more  beneyolent,  unselfish  woman  it  would  be  ex 
tremely  difficult  to  find.  Her  name  was  a  sweet  savor 
of  sincere  Christian  piety  wherever  she  was  known. 

It  is  perfectly  safe  to  say  that  many  of  the  promi 
nent  traits  in  the  distinguished  character  of  General 
Hancock  may  be  directly  traced  to  the  moulding  in 
fluence  of  his  parents. 

His  military  education  and  life,  and  the  opportu 
nity  afforded  by  his  influential  part  in  the  checking 
jf  Southern  secession,  have  developed  in  a  remarka- 
ole  degree  the  qualities  that  began  to  show  them 
selves  in  his  boyhood,  and  that  were  guided  and  fos 
tered  at  home.  His  ability  to  command,  his  facility 
in  controlling  great  masses  of  armed  men,  his  skill 
in  the  use  of  means,  his  patient  industry  in  overcom 
ing  difficulties,  his  dashing  energy  to  accomplish 
great  objects  in  the  midst  of  danger,  may  all  be 
traced  back,  like  living  streams  from  the  living  foun 
tain,  to  the  hidden  power  of  that  one  word — HOME. 

The  old  two-storied  school  house  near  DeKalb  street 


REVISITS  HOME.  81 

i 

has  been  swept  away  by  the  march  of  improvement. 
Not  a  vestige  of  it  remains;  and  even  its  site  is 
now  hidden  from  view,  being  demanded  by  the  exten 
sion  of  the  street,  for  the  purposes  of  travel.  Here, 
where  whole  generations  of  children  have  studied 
and  played  together,  where  the  hum  of  busy  search 
ers  after  knowledge  has  sounded  from  the  quiet  walls, 
like  the  music  of  bees  in  and  around  the  silent  hive ; 
where  the  gray-haired  or  more  juvenile  teachers  Lave 
filled  their  tripod  with  alternate  joys  of  victory  and 
sorrows  of  defeat ;  where  from  this  spot,  once  so  sacred 
to  learning  in  other  days,  have  gone  forth  the  boya 
who  have  filled  their  places  in  society,  grown  old  as 
the  teacher  was,  and  passed,  like  him,  away, — all  now 
is  given  up  to  the  rush  of  business,  the  passage  of 
hurrying  or  tardy  feet,  the  roll  of  wheels,  and  the 
tramp  of  horses.  But,  with  all  these  and  other 
changes,  forever  cherished  shall  be  the  memory  of 
the  old  Airy  street  school-house  in  Norristown. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

Among  the,  "Everglades" — Stationed  in  the  Mormon  District—  Hu 
Experiences  in  California —  The  coming  Storm  met  by  his  fearless 
Patriotism. 

DURING  the  year  1856,  when  Winfield  filled  the 
post  of  Quartermaster,  ranking  as  Captain,  of 
the  Sixth  United  States  Infantry,  he  was  stationed 
in  Florida.  A  part  of  this  time  of  service  was  spent 
near  Saint  Augustine.  This  is  a  commanding  posi 
tion,  a  city,  port  of  entry,  and  capital  of  St.  John's 
county.  It  is  two  hundred  miles  east  of  Tallahassee, 
and  one  hundred  and  sixty  south  of  Savannah.  It 
has  the  distinction  of  being  the  oldest  town  in  the 
United  States,  having  been  settled  by  the  Spaniards 
in  1565.  Its  location  on  the  navigable  waters  of 
Matanzas  Sound,  only  two  miles  from  the  Atlantic 
ocean,  (from  which  it  is  separated  by  the  island  of 
Anastasia,)  gives  it  a  marked  commercial  and  naval 
importance. 

The  city  stands  on  ji  plain,  only  a  few  feet  above  the 

(82) 


ORDERED  TO  FLORIDA.  83 

level  of  the  ocean.  The  streets  are  nearly  all  built 
on  the  old  Spanish  pattern,  being  only  from  ten  to 
eighteen  feet  wide.  The  houses  and  public  buildings 
are  usually  low,  the  former  being  not  more  than  two 
stories  high,  and  all  made  of  durable  materials,  the 
stone  or  shell  mixture  of  the  sea  shore.  The  upper 
stories  of  the  dwellings  and  stores  project  over  the 
streets,  so  that  passengers  crowd  along  the  narrow 
side-walks  under  the  hanging  verandas,  while  the 
horses,  mules,  and  cattle  straggle  and  jostle  their  way 
through  the  narrow  avenues.  Beside  the  county 
buildings  there  are  four  churches,  two  newspapers, 
and  a  United  States  land-office. 

The  harbor  of  Saint  Augustine  is  safe  and  com 
modious,  but  the  bar  at  the  entrance  prevents  the 
approach  to  the  wharves  of  large  ships,  having 
only  nine  or  ten  feet  of  water,  at  low  tides.  The 
climate  is  mild  and  pleasant ;  the  cool,  refreshing 
breezes  from  the  contiguous  sea  rendering  the  spot  a 
favorite  resort  for  invalids.  Beautiful  trees  abound 
—  the  olive,  the  palm,  the  orange,  and  the  lemon. 
The  loveliest  birds  of  the  continent  crowd  the  air, 
while  choice  fish  and  game  are  in  abundance.  Navi 
gation  is  carried  on  between  St.  Augustine  and  New 
Orleans,  Savannah,  and  other  sea-ports,  so  that  the 
town  has  become  one  of  the  largest  in  Florida. 


84:  WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

The  location  of  Winfield  was  at  Fort  Meyers,  in 
the  vicinity  of  Saint  Augustine,  where  he  remained 
in  active  service  until  the  year  1857. 

It  was  at  this  place  he  occupied  his  talents  as  a 
delineator  in  making  drawings  of  the  ground-plans 
of  the  old  Forts  and  adjacent  surroundings  —  a 
work  that  proudly  adorned  the  home  of  his  parents 
—  a  worthy  sign  of  his  skill  and  industry  as  a 
draughtsman. 

On  the  7th  of  November,  1856,  having  been  as 
signed  to  more  active  duties  in  the  United  States 
Quartermaster  General's  Department,  for  the  Western 
District,  he  was  ordered  to  the  United  States  territory 
of  Utah,  on  the  slope  of  the  Pacific  ocean,  and  to 
accompany  General  Harney  on  his  expedition  to 
Kansas  and  the  regions  beyond. 

Many  persons,  especially  those  abroad,  who  are 
aware  of  the  existence  of  the  crime  of  polygamy  in 
Utah,  are  not  conversant  with  the  fact  that  it  is 
several  thousand  miles  distant  from  the  national 
government,  at  Washington.  Bad  as  the  influence 
of  that  crime  is  on  its  immediate  participants,  and  on 
the  aboriginal  tribes  around,  it  should  be  remembered 
that  those  who  practice  it  are  mostly  foreigners,  and 
that  the  United  States  are  no  more  responsible  for  it, 
in  a  governmental  point  of  view,  than  is  England  for 


IN  CALIFORNIA.  85 

the  superstitions  of  her  colonies  in  India.  There  is 
a  moral  obligation  resting  on  all  Christian  people  to 
root  out  and  scatter  forever  this  disgraceful  evil ;  but, 
so  long  as  its  upholders  maintain  an  organization  in 
unison  with  the  national  constitution,  called  a  'repub 
lican  form  of  government,'  they  cannot  be  purged 
by  force  of  arms.  The  time  will  surely  come  when 
this  great  violence  to  the  civilization  and  Christianity 
of  the  nineteenth  century  will  be  removed. 

From  Utah  Captain  Hancock  was  transferred  to 
California,  and  stationed  at  Benicia.  He  was  for 
some  time  in  the  Quartermaster's  Department  there, 
in  intimate  association  with  that  superior  United 
States  officer,  General  SILAS  CASEY. 

Benicia  is  located  at  an  important  point  on  the 
Pacific  slope  of  the  Union,  and  was  at  one  time  the 
capital  of  California.  It  stands  on  a  commanding 
eminence,  at  the  junction  of  the  Strait  of  Karquenas 
with  the  Bays  of  San  Pablo  and  Suisun.  The  waters 
of  the  vicinity  are  all  navigable  for  quite  large  ves 
sels,  which  extend  their  voyages  up  the  river  to  Sac 
ramento,  the  present  State  capital. 

• 

The  appearance  of  tie  country  around  Benicia  is 
remarkable.     Not  a  tree  or  shrub  is  to  be  seen  in  all 
its  borders.     The  high  mountain  called  'Monte  Dia 
blo,'  or  Devil's  Mountain,  presents  one  of  the  wildest 
8 


86  WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

objects  in  the  world.  Its  jagged  sides,  its  black,  tow 
ering  peaks,  its  cavernous  clififc,  where  the  spent  vol» 
canic  action  of  bygone  ages  has  left  its  deep  lines 
on  the  *rifted  chasms,  where  the  thick  clouds  hang 
their  sulphurous  vapors,  where  terrific  thunders  roll 
and  lurid  lightnings  flash,  and  where  the  upper  wind?, 
sweep  with  melancholy  music  the  chords  of  the  lofty 
trees  that  crown  the  cold,  barren  summit,  all  unite  to 
render  this  mountain  a  prominent  feature  in  the  land 
scape  to  the  traveller,  as  they  have  long  caused  it  to 
be  a  centre  of  superstitious  reverence  and  dread  to 
the  ignorant  aborigines.  On  these  awful  and  dreary 
heights  their  wild  imaginations  have  reared  the 
throne  of  the  satanic  presence,  and  surrounded  it 
with, the  spectral  illusions  of  a  spirit-land.  The 
voice  of  the  raging  winds  on  the  towering  peak  is  to 
them  the  speaking  of  their  infernal  de:ty.  The  crash 
ing  thunder  is  the  echo  of  his  wrath,  and  the  light 
ning's  blaze  is  the  glare  of  his  kindled  eye.  For 
ages  past  they  have  not  dared  to  go  up  the  sides  of 
their  deified  mountain  beyond  a  certain  point;  and 

here,  like  the  children  of  Israel  in  the  desert,  around 

• 

the  base  of  Mount  Sinai,  they  have  paused  and  stood 
aghast  with  trembling  awe.  Even  to  this  day,  only 
here  and  there  a  solitary  pilgrim  pierces  through  the 
thick  veil  that  hangs  over  these  fearful  heights ;  and, 


IN  CALIFORNIA.  87 

casting  aside  the  superstitions  of  the  past,  and  gaaing 
on  the  glorious  picture  of  the  handiwork  of  the  true 
Deity  that  lives  and  glows  on  every  hand  beneath 
him,  with  Christian  adoration 

"Looks  through  nature  up  to  nature's  God." 

To  reach  Benicia,  Captain  Hancock  had  crossed  a 
large  portion  of  our  North  American  continent.  He 
learned  much  of  the  country  on  the  great  plains,  its 
people,  its  climate,  its  resources,  its  mineral  treasures, 
its  rivers  and  inland  seas ;  until,  leaving  the  almost 
extreme  southern  shore  of  our  Atlantic  possessions, 
he  stood  in  sight  of  those  on  the  almost  northern 
verge  of  the  Pacific. 

From  this  post  he  was  transferred  to  the  old  Span 
ish  town  of  Los  Angeles — or  the  town  of  the  angeLa 
—  located  in  the  part  of  the  West  known  as  Lower 
California.  Here  he  was  stationed  for  two  years, 
still  occupying  his  responsible  position  in  the  Depart 
ment  of  the  Quartermaster  General  of  the  United 
States. 

Los  Angeles  is  located  in  one  of  the  most  beauti 
ful  regions  in  America.  The  coast  ranges  of  moun 
tains  lift  their  breezy  summits  above  its  site,  while 
teeming  hillsides  slope  away  toward  the  sea,  and 
flowery  valleys  and  fruitful  plains  skirt  the  scene  be 
yond.  The  climate  is  one  of  the  most  delightful  on 


88  WIN  FIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

the  earth.  The  warm  airs  of  the  plains,  cooled  by 
those  from  the  mountains  as  frhey  meet  and  mingle 
together  in  friendly  intercourse,  produce  an  atmo 
sphere  which  it  is  the  perfection  of  refreshment  to 
inhale.  The  soil  around  produces  a  variety  of  the 
most  different  seeds  and  fruits ;  potatoes  and  oranges, 
c<s>rn  and  figs,  wheat  and  lemons,  pears  and  pome 
granates,  melons  and  dates,  wheat  and  rice,  tobacco 
and  grapes,  cotton  and  buckwheat,  sugar-cane  and 
apples,  grow  and  flourish  side  by  side.  The  moun 
tain  breast  of  a  bank  may  be  painted  white  with  dis 
solving  snow,  while  the  slope  toward  the  valley  is  all 
variegated  with  the  hues  of  flowers. 

In  this  salubrious  and  genial  clime  Captain  Han 
cock  made  his  home  for  two  years.  The  great  mining 
interests  of  the  rich  region  adjacent  drew  many 
American  and  other  settlers  around  him,  and  his 
position  required  the  exercise  of  much  executive 
ability.  His  influence  was  sensibly  felt,  and  became 
quite  extensive  through  all  that  part  of  Lower 
California. 

"When  the  secession  of  1861  took  place  in  the 
United  States,  his  voice  and  example  were  potential  in 
arousing  and  extending  the  spirit  of  patriotism  among 
the  people.  The  peculiar  character  of  a  large  portion 
yf  the  immigrants  to  that  section,  especially  those 


/Ar  CALIFORNIA.  89 

from  the  seceded  and  disaffected  States  of  the  Union, 
rendered  them  uneasy  in  the  crisis  that  had  so  unex 
pectedly  broken  on  the  nation.  Many  of  this  class 
were  Southerners  by  birth  and  education.  Their 
kindred  and  their  property  left  behind  were  in  the 
South.  They  sympathized  with  secession;  their 
hearts  were  with  the  Southron,  and  they  longed  for 
opportunities  to  take  up  arms  in  their  cause.  Popular 
outbreaks  of  the  most  violent  nature  were  constantly 
threatened  on  every  hand.  There  was  the  most 
imminent  danger  that  the  whole  of  that  large  and 
rich  region  of  country  would  be  swept  away  from 
its  moorings  to  the  Union,  and  borne  down  by 
mob  violence  into  the  vortex  of  violence  to  the  old 
flag. 

At  this  critical  moment  it  demanded  all  the  cool 
ness,  calmness,  and  courage  of  Captain  Hancock  to 
do  his  part  in  quelling  the  rising  storm.  Should  it 
prevail  to  any  extent,  his  own  department  would  be 
the  first  to  feel  and  suffer  from  its  fury.  The  sup 
plies  and  munitions  of  war  his  command  was  enabled 
to  furnish,  were  tempting  prizes  to  the  ambitious 
bands  that  were  forming  and  holding  their  gather 
ings  all  around  him.  Some  went  so  far  as  to  boast 

O 

of  what  they  would  do  in  possessing  themselves  of 
the  United  States-  commissary  articles  and  means  of 
8* 


00  WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

defence  committed  to  his  charge ;  while  others,  more 
openly  rampant,  threatened  to  tear  down  the  national 
colors. 

In  the  midst  of  all  this  tempest  of  passion  and 
fanaticism,  Hancock  stood  firm.  His  personal  influ 
ence,  as  we  have  said,  was  great,  and  he  exerted  it 
now  to  the  utmost.  He  rose  to  the  emergencies  of 
the  occasion,  and  appealed  directly  to  the  patriotism 
of  his  countrymen.  With  the  seditious  aliens  who 
were  active  in  fomenting  disturbances,  who  had 
nothing  in  common  with  the  citizens  who  controlled 
the  government  by  their  votes,  he  was  bold,  strong, 
firm ;  yielding  not  an  inch  to  their  insolent  demands, 
and  presenting  the  courage  of  a  patriot  heart  and 
the  force  of  a  gallant  arm  to  their  treasonable 
threats. 

Thus  Hancock  met  these  distant  and  isolated 
seceders  in  one  of  their  own  strongholds.  Thus  he 
upheld,  on  that  far-off  Pacific  slope,  the  flag  of  his 
country,  the  integrity  of  the  Union,  and  the  rights 
of  man.  His  course  in  Lower  California  met  the 
approval  of  the  government  and  of  all  our  country 
men  who  are  conversant  with  its  high  merits.  His 
name  will  ever  be  honored  on  account  of  it,  not  only 
on  the  shores  of  the  Pacific,  but  those  of  the  Atlan- 


IN  CALIFORNIA.  91 

tic,  all  through  the  United  States.  He  had  the  hap 
piness  to  witness  the  subsidence  of  this  incipient 
rebellion,  and  to  hear  the  cry  awake  and  continue  to 
resound  on  every  hand : 

"Forever  float  that  standard  sheet! 

Where  breathes  the  foe  but  falls  before  ua? 
With  freedom's  soil  beneath  our  feet, 
And  freedom's  banner  waving  o  er  u»i" 


CHAPTER  X. 

The  Stars  and  Bars  vs.  the  Stars  and  Stripes  —  Winfald  Scott  Han 
cock  Rises  to  the  Occasion — The  Soldier-Statesman  who  Knew  no 
Politics  but  the  Policy  of  the  Union,  Earning  the  Right  to  become 
the  First  of  American  Citizens. 

AT  his  own  earnest  request,  Quartermaster  HAN 
COCK  was  transferred  from  his  responsible  but 
comparatively  quiet  post  on  the  Pacific,  to  the  more 
active  scenes  that  stirred  the  pulses  of  the  Atlantic 
coast,  at  the  middle  of  the  year  1861.  His  position 
in  California  was  one  of  great  relative  importance, 
but  the  routine  duties  of  a  Quartermaster  had  never 
been  suited  to  the  energetic  and  courageous  character 
of  such  a  man  as  he  has  proved  himself  to  be.  As 
soon,  therefore,  as  the  necessary  official  preliminaries 
could  be  effected,  he  was  on  his  way  to  the  field  of 
battle. 

In  the  month  of  September,  1861,  he  landed  in 
New  York.  Without  stopping  even  a  moment  to 
visit  his  parents,  at  Norristown,  although  he  had  now 

(92) 


IN  THE  WAR  FOR  THE  UNION.  93 

been  absent  from  them  over  two  years,  in  a  distant 
part  of  the  country,  he  pushed  on,  within  a  few  hours 
of  his  arrival,  to  "Washington,  and  immediately  re 
ported  himself  to  the  "War  Department,  ready  for 
active  service.  His  mind  was  deliberately  made  up 
to  the  great  issue.  His  life  was  again  in  his  hand 
for  his  beloved  country.  His  valuable  services  were 
at  once  accepted,  and  he  placed  in  the  front  of  the 
fight. 

Here  let  us  pause  a  moment,  and  take  a  survey  of 
the  field. 

"When,  in  the  month  of  November,  1860,  a  large 
majority  of  the  voters  of  America  had  declared  the 
then  incumbent  was  constitutionally  elected  President 
of  the  United  States,  it  was  clearly  the  duty  of  the 
minority  to  abide  by  the  law,  and  yield  obedience  to 
the  verdict.  If  they  had  been  fairly  outvoted  at  this 
election  —  and  it  is  not  pretended  by  any  one  but 
they  were  —  the  fundamental  oaths,  the  democratic 
canons  of  the  country,  affirmed  that  the  government 
should  still  be  maintained,  the  laws  administered,  the 
powers  and  emoluments  of  office  transmitted,  until  a 
new  trial  should  confirm  or  reverse  the  result.  The 
same  sacred  right  of  suffrage  had  been  enjoyed  by 
all  the  electors  of  the  nation.  Three  parties,  with 
distinct  national  issues,  were  in  the  arena ;  but  all 


94  WINFIELD,   THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

three  openly  swore  allegiance  to  the  same  national 
standard,  and  vowed  devotion  \o  the  same  national 
Union.  Secession,  Disunion,  Rebellion,  were  not  in 
that  presidential  canvass.  The  election,  with  its 
greatly  increased  vote,  with  all  the  momentous  and 
exciting  issues  at  stake,  was  one  of  the  most  quiet 
ever  held  in  the  country.  No  one  was  molested  in 
public  or  private  discussions  of  the  vast  questions 
involved  in  the  contest.  There  was  not  a  life  lost  at 
the  polls,  where  millions  of  men,  each  one  as  free  and 
as  good  as  another  in  the  eye  of  the  law,  marched  to 
the  ballot-boxes  of  their  voting  precincts,  and  cast 
their  votes  for  the  candidates  of  their  choice.  No  one, 
in  all  that  vast  host  of  qualified  suffragants,  of  equal 
peers,  yea,  of  reigning  sovereigns,  could  with  pro 
priety  rudely  ask  or  threaten  his  fellow  at  the  polls : 

"  Under  which  king,  Bezonian  ? 
Speak,  or  die !" 

Every  intelligent  elector  was  his  own  king.  Every 
responsible  vote  he  cast  was  his  own  royal  edict. 

We  have  said  the  questions  of  Secession,  Disunion 
and  Rebellion  were  not  in  this  great  constitutional 
contest  of  voters.  It  is  not  to  be  understood  by  this 
historical  statement,  however,  that  the  relative  value 
of,  and  purpose  to  continue,  the  Union,  were  not 
passed  upon  by  the  people  in  that  election  Oo  the 


IN  THE  WAR  FOR  THE  UNION.  95 

contrary,  they  were  so  passed  upon,  and  that,  too, 
in  the  most  decided,  unequivocal  manner.  That 
vote  of  that  large  majority  of  the  American  people 
was,  in  fact,  a  strong,  clear,  emphatic  constitu 
tional  endorsement  of  the  Union  of  the  States  by 
the  highest  power  in  the  land  known  to  the  laws. 
It  was  the  sovereign  verdict  of  the  United  States 
that  the  United  States  should  continue.  It  was 
the  constitution  re-indorsing  the  constitution.  It 
was  the  Union  again  pouring  its  own  life  blood 
through  the  living  cycle  of  the  Union.  It  was  a 
national  salute  to  the  national  flag,  wherever  it  floated, 
around  the  world.  Could  anything  of  the  kind  be 
more  nationally  significant?  Could  anything  be 
more  nationally  potential  ? 

Thus  stood  the  case  when  the  final  announcement 
of  the  decision  was  flashed  along  the  electric  wire, 
from  the  Atlantic,  on  the  East,  to  the  Pacific,  on  the 
West;  from  the  inland  seas,  on  the  North,  to  the 
Gulf  of  .Mexico,  on  the  South. 

What  then?  What  became  the  duty  of  the  ma-, 
jority  ?  What  became,  also,  the  duty  of  the  minority  ? 
It  was  the  duty  of  Jie  one  to  assume  the  reins  of  gov 
ernment,  and  conduct  the  public  affairs  of  the  country 
in  the  spirit  and  precepts  of  its  founders ;  with  becom 
ing  gravity  to  count  and  publish  the  votes  of  the 


96  WINFIELD,    THE  LAWYERS  SON. 

different  electoral  colleges,  in  the  consecrated  halls 
of  the  several  legislatures ;  to  sign,  seal,  certify  and 
forward  the  official  ballot  to  the  national  archives,  in 
the  national  capital,  and  make  proclamation  of  the 
nation's  choice ;  to  inaugurate  the  man  of  that  choice 
with  all  the  solemn  forms  and  rituals  of  law  known 
to  the  constitution  and  established  by  the  precedents 
of  the  fathers ;  to  require  t"hat  chosen  man,  and  his 
associates  in  the  offices  in  which,  as  the  vicegerents 
of  the  people,  the  people  had  just  placed  them,  to 
take  upon  their  souls,  in  the  presence  of  ALMIGHTY 
GOD  and  of  all  witnesses,  the  most  sacred  oaths  ever 
administered  from  man  to  man,  the  record  of  which 
is  to  be  forever  on  high. 

Thus  elected,  thus  inaugurated,  by  the  virtue  of 
the  power  they  derived  from  their  constituents,  the 
people  of  America,  what  could  any  of  these  men  do 
but  obey  their  commands?  Had  a  majority  of  this 
people  declared  by  their  votes  that  they  held  their 
Union  to  be  a  mere  confederation  of  States?  No. 
Had  they  admitted,  for  a  moment,  since  they  became 
a  distinct  nation,  that  they  held  their  constitution  to 
bo  a  mere  treaty  between  independent  sovereignties  ? 
N  o.  Had  they  delegated  the  powers  invested  by  them 
in  a  consolidated  nation,  to  be  divided  up  between 
thirty-six  or  more  distinct  nationalities  ?  No.  Had 


IN  THE  WAR  FOR  THE  UNION.  97 

they,  at  any  time,  given  up  their  right,  entrusted  to 
their  national  rulers,  to  declare  war  and  make  peace,  tc 
negotiate  treaties,  to  establish  a  currency,  to  regulate 
commerce  between  the  separate  States,  or  to  punish 
treason,  as  a  nation  ?  No. 

What  then  ?  The  United  States  was  a  nation  — 
a  nation  intact,  sovereign,  independent ;  composed  of 
States  that  are  separate  as  to  their  State  rights,  yet 
is  to  the  Union  in  a  nation, 

"  Distinct,  as  the  billows,  yet  one,  as  the  sea." 

This  was  the  view,  and  the  only  view,  taken  of  our 
national  existence  by  the  great  Father  of  our  Coun 
try,  and  by  all  the  patriots  and  statesmen  who  founded 
the  Republic.  To  put  in  practice  as  a  nation  any 
other  doctrine  than  this,  is  deliberately  to  commit 
national  suicide,  and  lay  the  last  hope  of  liberty  and 
constitutional  government  on  the  American  continent 
in  the  darkness  and  silence  of  the  grave. 

The  election  of  a  constitutional  President  of  the 
United  States  having,  then>  been  constitutionally  de 
clared,  with  all  the  solemnities  of  national  law,  what 
moral  insanity,  what  political  frenzy,  what  intellectual 
madness  must  have  possessed  those  leading  men  of 
the  Southern  part  of  our  Union,  who,  because  they 
were  actually  defeated  in  a  fair  election,  without  wait 
ing  for  the  action  of  the  government  their  fellow- 


98  WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYERS  SON. 

citizens  of  the  Republic  had  thus  chosen,  lifted  the 
dread  standard  of  secession  against  the  nation  of  their 
fathers  and  ours,  and  plunged  the  whole  land,  includ 
ing  millions  of  helpless  women  and  little  children,  in 
all  the  horrors  of  a  fratricidal  war ! 

"Patriot  and  faction, 

Like  oil  and  water  mix,  when  strongly  shaken; 
But  never  can  unite  —  disjoined  by  nature." 

It  was  in  this  spirit  that  Captain  HANCOCK  enlisted 
in  the  war  for  the  Union.  He  had  seen  in  California, 
and  in  other  parts  of  the  country,  the  malign  influ 
ences  that  began  the  war  on  the  part  of  Disunion. 
He  saw  now  that  one  or  the  other  must  perish.  To 
refuse  to  fight  under  the  flag  that  had  made  him  all 
that  he  was  as  a  military  man,  and  that  was  sacred  to 
him  and  all  other  patriots  by  all  its  glorious  antece 
dents,  was  not  only  to  prove  himself  the  vilest  of 
ingrates,  but  it  was  to  participate  in  the  follies  of 
those  misled  men  who,  having  failed  in  their  attempts 
to  continue  to  rule  the  country,  were  now  madly  bent 
on  its  ruin.  As  a  patriot,  bearing  the  honored  names 
of  a  patriot  soldier  and  statesman,  his  course  was 
plain.  He  heard  the  trumpet  call  of  duty,  and  hasted 
to  obey  the  summons.  His  cadet  vows  were  yet  upon 
him,  and  gratefully  and  proudly  hj  renewed  them  at 
the  altar  of  the  Union.  He  at  once  accepted  the  post 
assigned  him,  and  entered  with  noble  ardor  on  that 


IN  THE  Wi.R  FOR  THE  UNION.  90 

career  for  the.  complete  suppression  of  the  rebellion, 
which  we  shall  continue  further  to  depict. 

With  all  his  brilliancy  and  dash  as  a  soldier,  HAN 
COCK  did  not  participate  in  the  scenes  of  war  we  are 
describing,  from  a  mere  love  of  fighting.  He  chose 
the  profession  of  arms  in  his  youth  from  a  conviction 
of  duty.  He  now  continued  in  it,  in  his  manhood, 
actuated  by  the  patriotic  belief  that  'resistance  to 
tyrants  is  obedience  to  God.7 

"We  put  on  record  here  his  avowal  of  the  princi 
ples  that  guide  him  in  all  contests  for  our  country. 
They  are  contained  in  a  private  letter  of  his  to  a  friend, 
to  whom  we  and  our  readers  are  deeply  indebted  for 
many  of  the  important  facts  embodied  in  this  volume. 

These  are  his  own  words  : 

"MY  POLITICS  ARE  OF  A  PRACTICAL  KIND.  THE 
INTEGRITY  OF  THE  COUNTRY.  THE  SUPREMACY  OF 
THE  FEDERAL  GOVERNMENT.  AN  HONORABLE  PEACE, 


"Far  dearer  the  grave,  or  the  prison, 

Illumed  by  one  patriot  name, 
Than  the  trophies  of  those  who  have  rlt 
On  liberty  ruin  to  fame." 


CHAPTER  XL 

A  rips  Military  Man,  a  true  Patriot,  and  an  Unflinching  Loyalist 
—  His  further  Promotion  at  the  Instance  of  General  McCldlan  — 
His  long  March  across  the  Continent  from  JSenicia. 

AT  the  time  of  his  reporting  for  duty  in  Wash 
ington,  in  the  month  of  September,  1861,  Captain 
HANCOCK  was  thirty-eight  years  of  age.  He  had  served 
his  country  in  the  various  positions  assigned  him  in 
the  army  during  a  period  of  seventeen  years.  The 
most  of  this  service  had  been  rendered  in  Mexico,  or 
west  of  the  Mississippi  river,  and  in  the  everglades 
of  Florida. 

In  all  the  ranks  of  the  army,  among  officers  and 
men,  he  stood  deservedly  high.  By  his  strict  devo 
tion  to  duty,  his  invariable  courage,  energy  and  pa 
triotic  enthusiasm,  he  had  secured  the  confidence  and 
attachment  of  all  who  knew  him.  Correct  in  his 
personal  habits,  polite,  affable,  friendly  with  all,  un 
selfish  and  hospitable,  he  was  a  favorite  wherever  he 
went 

(100) 


BEGINNING  THE 


He  liad  his  own  opinions  on  all  national  questions, 
and  was  prepared  to  express  and  defend  them.  Al 
though  never  a  politician,  and  never  having  voted,  his 
sympathies  and  convictions  had  always  been  with  the 
Democratic  party.  But,  like  a  true  patriot,  he  never 
gave  up  to  party  what  was  due  to  mankind.  He  was 
firm  and  conscientious  in  the  belief  that  Secession 
was  Disunion ;  that  Disunion  was  civil  war — a  crime 
against  the  honor,  welfare  and  happiness  of  the 
American  people.  He  had  proved  his  stand  on  this 
issue  by  his  patriotic  course  against  the  first  dawn- 
ings  of  every  attempt  at  Disunion,  in  California. 
By  his  personal  presence  and  voice  on  that  occasion, 
he  had  not  only  stemmed  the  incipient  risings  of 
the  deep  discontent,  but  he  had  rendered  signal  ser 
vice  to  the  Union  by  addressing  the  inhabitants  in 
public  on  several  occasions,  and  organizing  and 
directing  that  public  sentiment  which  exerted  so 
potential  an  influence  in  maintaining  the  loyalty  of 
that  part  of  the  Golden  State  in  which  he  resided. 

He  proclaimed  everywhere,  and  was  always  ready 
to  maintain  the  opinion — if  need  be,  with  his  trusty  • 
sword — that  no  grievances  of  which  the  citizens  of 
the  Southern  States  might  justly  complain,  could 
warrant  or  empower  them  to  revolt  against  the  con- 
«titutional  government  of  the  nation.  His  great- 
9* 


i02:  WINTIELD,  TIIE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

grandfather  and  grandfather  had  both  fought  in  the 
war  of  the  Eevolution  and  in  that  of  1812,  with 
Great  Britain,  to  establish  and  perpetuate  the  Union 
of  the  States.  It  was  not  for  him,  who  had  sprung 
from  such  an  ancestry,  who  had  received  such  patri 
otic  lessons  in  his  boyhood,  who  had  taken  such  ob 
ligations  and  acquired  such 'a  national  education  in 
the  Military  Academy  belonging  to  all  the  Union, 
and  who  had  already  done  valiant  service  under  the 
time-honored  flag  of  his  country,  basely  now  to  prove 
recreant  to  all  these  inspirations  of  duty,  with  igno 
minious  cowardice  to  sheathe  his  sword  in  ignoble 
ease,  or  with  infamous  treachery  to  wield  it  against 
the  dear-bought  liberties  of  his  native  land. 

Acting  on  these  high-toned  convictions  as  an  Amer 
ican  patriot,  he  had  offered  his  services,  at  the  moment 
of  the  first  avowal  of  a  secession,  to  the  Governor 
of  Pennsylvania.  As  a  native  of  the  State,  as  a 
thoroughly-educated  soldier  of  the  regular  Army, 
as  an  officer  of  established  bravery  and  popularity 
with  his  troops,  his  valuable  services  would  have 
been  gladly  accepted  in  such  a  command.  But  be 
fore  the  arrangement  could  be  consummated  he  was 
on  duty  at  Washington,  in  the  service  of  the  United 
States.  Here  he  was  immediately  assigned  to  tha 
post  of  Chief  Quartermaster,  on  the  staff  of  General 


BEGINNING  THE  UNION  WAR.  103 

ROBERT  ANDERSON,  the  hero  of  Fort  Sumter,  who 
had  been  placed  in  command  of  the  Union  forces  in 
his  native  State  of  Kentucky. 

While  preparing  to  comply  with  this  order  of  the 
War  Department,  only  a  very  few  days  after  his  return 
from  his  post  in  California,  he  was  proposed  to  the 
government  by  General  McCLELLAN,  then  General- 
in-Chief  of  the  army,  for  a  commission  as  Brigadier 
General.  This  proposal  was  made  unexpectedly  to 
Captain  HANCOCK,  and  without  any  solicitation  on 
the  part  of  his  friends.  The  appointment  was  de 
cided  on  his  merits  alone,  and  as  such  made  by  Presi 
dent  LINCOLN,  on  the  23d  of  September,  1861.  It 
was  at  once  accepted,  and  the  new  Brigadier  prepared 
himself  for  active  service. 

His  experience  in  the  cause  of  his  country  had 
already  been  varied  and  extensive.  In  Mexico,  on 
the  frontiers,  among  hostile  Indians,  in  Florida,  fight 
ing  the  brave  and  wily  Seminoles,  associated  with 
such  commanders  as  Generals  WORTH,  HARNEY,  Colo 
nels  CLARKE,  BROWN,  JAMES  MONROE,  and  others, 
he  had  acquired  a  knowledge  of  military  affairs, 
of-strategy,  and  the  best  methods  of  commanding 
men ,  that  he  was  now  enabled  to  turn  to  good  account 
for  his  country.  His  campaign  to  Fort  Leavenworth, 
in  1856-7,  had  been  productive  of  peculiarly  import- 


104  WINF1ELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

ant  results.  From  Florida  to  Kansas,  and  while 
remaining  in  the  latter  State,  until  the  spring  of  1858, 
he  had  signalized  his  skill  and  devotion  as  a  soldier. 

The  expedition  of  General  Harne y  to  Utah  having 
been  abandoned  by  the  government,  Captain  Hancock 
had  been  ordered  to  proceed,  as  Chief  Quartermaster, 
to  the  occupation  of  Fort  Bridger,  one  of  the  out 
posts  of  our  Western  frontier.  From  this  point  he 
accompanied  his  old  regiment,  the  efficient  and  pop 
ular  Sixth  Infantry,  through  their  long  march  across 
the  continent  to  Benicia,  California.  This  march  was 
probably  the  longest  continuous  one  ever  taken  by 
any  body  of  infantry  troops.  It  carried  them  through 
an  immense  tract  of  wild,  savage  country,  where 
inimical  Indians  swarmed,  at  times,  on  every  hand. 
The  deep  snows  of  the  Sierra  Nevada  range  of  moun 
tains — the  highest  summits  of  which  have  an  elevation 
of  sixteen  thousand  feet,  and  whose  line  extends  all 
through  the  State  of  California,  from  the  town  of  Los 
Angeles  to  the  Cascades  of  Oregon — had  to  be  en 
countered  and  overcome,  the  troops  and  horses  sup 
plied  with  rations,  and  the  peculiar  surprises  and 
sudden  dangers  of  that  weary  route  of  thousands  of 
miles,  constantly  guarded  against. 

For  the  skillful  management  of  the  onerous  duties 
of  his  department,  all  through  this  difficult  march, 


BEGINNING  THE  UNION  WAR.  106 

Captain  Hancock  received  and  justly  deserved  great 
credit. 

It  was  now  toward  the  close  of  the  month  of  Sep 
tember,  1861.  The  army  of  the  United  States  was 
not  then  fully  organized.  There  was  much  inexpe 
rience  and  occasional  demoralization  among  our  raw 
troops.  With  all.  their  patriotism  and  general  intel 
ligence,  as  citizen  soldiers,  they  could  not  always  be 
depended  on  in  sudden  emergencies  and  moments  of 
critical  danger.  In  the  responsible  work  of  their 
organization,  drill,  discipline,  and  setting  in  the  field 
of  action,  General  Hancock  was  called  to  take  a 
prominent  part.  His  remarkable  traits  of  character, 
now  ripened  into  full  manhood,  here  displayed  their 
worth  in  the  service  to  the  greatest  advantage.  He 
was  at  home,  in  his  own  chosen,  field.  We  shall  see, 
as  we  progress,  how  worthily  he  continued  to  fill  laig 
role. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

His  Brigade,  on  the  Potomac  —  His  quiet  Method  of  Dealing  with 
S2)ies  —  The  Actual  Opening  of  the  Dread  Fraternal  Strife  —  Han- 
cock's  Presence  everywhere  the  Signal  for  Enterprise  and  Activity. 

THE  beautiful  fall  of  September,  1861,  dawned 
on  the  country.  The  national  forces  were  now 
nearly  organized.  Troops  were  arriving  at  the  front 
from  all  the  free  States,  and  gradually  taking  part  in 
the  conflict.  The  most  busy  fields  of  action  at  that 
time  were  in  Missouri  and  Western  Virginia.  In  the 
last-named  region,  especially,  the  confederated  men 
were  very  belligerent,  being  constantly  stimulated  by 
their  allies  in  civil  life  all  around  them.  It  was 
soon  perceived  that  the  contest  for  the  supremacy  of 
the  Union  in  t^at  section  would  be  prolonged  and 
severe. 

Fighting  had  taken  place  early  in  this  month  at 

(106) 


HIS  FIRST  FIGHT  FOR  THE  UNION.         JQ? 

several  points  along  the  Western  Virginia  lines.  At 
Boone  Court  House,  Boone  county — named  in  honor 
of  the  old  pioneer,  Daniel  Boone,  of  Kentucky — the 
Union  troops  had  encountered  a  body  of  armed  "  Se- 
cesh"  and  signally  defeated  them.  This  point  is  only 
about  two  hundred  miles,  in  a  direct  line,  west  from 
Richmond.  But  the  contest  there  speedily  convinced 
the  Southrons  the  Union  would  not  consent  to  allow 
any  part  of  the  Old  Dominion  it  could  control  to 
pass,  without  a  struggle,  under  the  new  flag  Stars  and 
Bars.  Our  troops,  fresh  and  comparatively  undis 
ciplined  as  they  were,  fought  well  on  this  occasion. 
We  drove  the  enemy  at  all  points,  routing  them  to 
tally,  killing  thirty,  wounding  a  large  number,  and 
taking  over  forty  prisoners.  None  were  killed  on 
the  National  side,  and  but  six  were  wounded.  The 
town  was  burned  during  the  engagement. 

A  picked  body  of  the  Charleston,  South  Carolina, 
Home  Guards,  who  had  penetrated  through  the  She- 
nandoah  country  to  within  a  short  distance  of  Har 
per's  Ferry,  Virginia,  were  attacked  by  the  Thirteenth 
regiment  of  Massachusetts  Volunteers.  The  so-called 
'  Yankees'  performed  their  parts  so  well  on  the  '  chiv 
alry7  that  they  soon  drove  them,  pell-mell,  killing 
three,  wounding  five,  and  capturing  twenty  prisoners. 
These,  with  the  wounded,  were  brought  into  camp  by 


108  WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

the  Massachusetts  boys,  who  greeted  them  blandly 
with  the  song  'Gay  and  Happy.' 

Victories  were  being  won  by  the  Union  arms  in 
different  parts  of  the  country.  We  had  captured 
Forts  Hatteras  and  Clark,  on  the  coast  of  North  Car 
olina,  possessed  several  important  points  on  the  West 
ern  waters,  and  done  the  enemy  considerable  damage 
in  Missouri,  while  he  was  pursuing  the  Fabian  policy 
of  masterly  inactivity  by  remaining  in  his  trenches 
in  Virginia. 

The  patriotic  feeling  of  the  country  was  steadily 
rising.  Large  popular  meetings  were  held,  presided 
over  by  the  civil  authorities,  and  addressed  in  earnest 
and  courageous  strains  of  patriotism  by  eminent  men 
of  all  parties.  General  Eosecrans — formerly,  it  will 
be  remembered,  a  fellow  Lieutenant  with  General 
Hancock,  in  Mexico — had  won  a  decided  victory  near 
Summersville,  Virginia.  The  effect  of  this  victory 
was  marked,  through  all  that  region  to  which  Han 
cock  was  at  that  time  assigned.  The  bold  General 
Floyd — notorious  as  the  prominent  secessionist  who, 
when  the  nominal  Union  Secretary  of  War,  at  Wash 
ington,  had  very  artfully  sequestrated  all  the  govern 
ment  arms  and  munitions  of  war  under  his  control 
to  the  special  purposes  of  the  South — was  then  in 
position  near  the  summit  of  Carnifax  mountain,  with 


HIS  FIRST  FIGHT  FOE  THE  UNION.          109 

five  thousand  Secesh  troops  and  sixteen  pieces  of 
artillery.  The  rear  and  extreme  of  both  flanks  of 
the  enemy  were  inaccessible.  The  front  was  masked 
with  heavy  forests  and  a  dense  jungle.  The  brigade 
commanded  by  General  BENHAM  —  one  of  the  most 
accomplished  and  energetic  of  all  our  soldiers — was 
in  the  advance,  and  assailed  the  enemy  with  such  skill 
and  force  that  they  were  driven,  on  a  number  of  occa 
sions,  from  their  guns.  Several  companies  of  picked 
Irish  troops,  led  by  Colonel  Lytle,  of  the  Tenth  Ohio, 
charged  the  battery,  in  the  face  of  the  hottest  fire 
that  the  enemy  could  pour  from  the  heights.  A  Ger 
man  brigade,  under  Colonel  McCook — son  of  the  old 
patriot  Judge  DANIEL  McCooK,  of  Kentucky,  who 
has  given  himself  and  four  sons  to  the  war  for  his 
country — followed  in  the  assault  with  great  bravery, 
and,  for  a  time,  silenced  the  battery. 

Floyd,  as  usual  with  his  consummate  artifice,  fled 
during  the  night;  but  the  depth  of  the  adjacent  river 
over  which  he  passed  in  his  flight,  and  the  obstruc 
tions  thrown  by  him  in  his  way,  prevented  a  success 
ful  pursuit.  He  left  his  camp,  however,  as  a  trophy 
to  the  Union,  including  his  own  equipage,  together 
with  wagons,  horses,  large  quantities  of  ammunition 
and  fifty  head  of  cattle. 

In  Hardy  Co.,  Virginia,  the  gray  coats  had  been 
10 


110  WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

seriously  worsted  in  several  hard-fought  engage 
ments.  A  number  of  camps  were  captured  from 
them,  containing  large  supplies  of  guns,  uniforms, 
ammunition,  horses,  teams,  and  grain. 

On  the  13th  of  September,  of  this  year,  the  battle 
of  Cheat  Mountain  had  been  fought  and  won  by  the 
Union  forces.  The  Secesh  had  erected  a  strong  fort 
on  the  summit.  This  our  troops  succeeded  in  sur 
rounding,  where  they  cut  the  telegraph  wire  to  pre 
vent  its  being  used  by  the  enemy.  This  position 
was  deemed  by  the  grays  one  of  the  most  command 
ing  in  Western  Virginia.  But  they  could  not  stand 
against  the  shells  of  the  Union  batteries ;  they  precipi 
tately  fled  before  our  artillerists,  leaving  their  dead 
and  wounded  behind  them. 

The  introduction  of  General  Hancock  to  his  new 
field  was  the  signal  for  continued  activity.  His  best 
energies  were  all  taxed  to  prepare  his  conriaand  for 
constant  duty. 

The  army  was  now  rapidly  reaching  its  appropriate 
proportions.  The  command  of  Hancock  was  conse 
quently  assuming  a  relative  importance.  His  Brig 
ade  consisted  of  the  Forty-ninth  Pennsylvania,  Forty- 
third  New  York,  F'fth  "Wisconsin,  and  Ninth  Maine, 
in  the  Division  of  General  W.  F.  SMITH.  On  the 


FIRST  FIGHT  FOR  THE  UNION.         Hi 

9th  of  October,  1861,  his  Brigade  held  the  advance 
position  on  the  Potomac,  occupying  Lewinsville. 

The  first  battle  at  this  point  had  taken  place  on 
the  llth  of  the  preceding  September.  On  the  morn 
ing  of  that  day  a  party  consisting  of  several  detached 
companies  of  infantry,  a  company  of  cavalry,  and 
Captain  Griffin's  battery  of  light  artillery,  the  whole 
in  command  of  Colonel  Stevens  of  the  New  York 
Highlanders,  broke  camp,  and  started  for  the  enemy. 
The  adverse  pickets  retired  beyond  Lewinsville  a? 
onr  troops  advanced.  Having  accomplished  the 
object  of  their  reconnoissance,  our  men  were  about  to 
return,  when  a  large  force  of  the  enemy,  consisting  of 
two  regiments  of  infantry  and  Colonel  Stuart's  regi 
ment  of  Virginia  cavalry,  with  a  battery  of  four 
pieces,  were  seen  approaching.  The  line  of  battle 
was  immediately  formed.  The  enemy  commenced 
shelling  in  front,  and  were  promptly  replied  to  by 
Griffin.  Every  opportunity  was  now  given  the  enemy 
to  meet  us  in  the  open  field  ;  but  they  very  prudently 
kept  under  the  coverts  of  the  woods,  doing  what  exe 
cution  they  could  at  a  respectful  distance. 

The  national  forces  now  brought  into  action  a 
thirtv-two-pound  gun,  which  speedily  and  effectually 
silenced  the  batteries  of  the  enemy.  He  was  evi 
dently  glad  to  show  signs  of  retiring.  At  this  mo 


112  WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

merit  the  gun  was  brought  to  bear  on  their  cavalry, 
who  now  appeared  in  the  open  road,  which  sent  them 
flying  and  reeling  from  their  saddles  in  all  directions. 

The  movement  was  a  success,  and  the  troops  en 
gaged  returned  to  camp  in  good  order,  where  they 
received  the  corgratulations  of  the  General  in  com 
mand. 

These  preliminary  engagements  with  the  enemy 
showed  their  near  approach  and  constant  activity. 
They  were  out  in  every  direction,  scouring  the  coun 
try  for  conscripts  and  supplies.  Even  at  that  early 
period  of  the  war,  Disunion  began  to  feel  its  growing 
necessities  for  men,  provisions,  and  munitions.  Their 
forays  became  more  and  more  frequent,  as  their  wants 
steadily  increased.  At  the  commencement  of  the 
rebellion  they  had  plunged  into  war  wtth  reckless 
ferocity,  and  their  troops  had  all  the  advantage  over 
ours  of  much  greater  experience,  drill,  and  discipline. 
The  whole  Southern  country  had  been  transformed 
into  one  great  camp.  Every  arms-bearing  citizen 
was  held  to  be  a  soldier ;  every  crop  was  regarded  as 
pledged  to  the  warlike  purposes  of  the  time.  In  the 
cities  of  the  South,  especially,  the  dangerous  charac 
ter  of  the  institution  of  slavery,  where  large  masses 
of  slaves  were  liable  to  assemble  together  under  the 
influence  of  those  of  their  class  who  had  by  any 


HIS  FIRST  FIGHT  FOR  THE  UNION. 

means  obtained  the  boon  of  freedom,  it  had  been  tha 
custom  for  years  to  maintain  regular  bodies  of  troops, 
many  of  whom  were  well-mounted  cavalry,  ready  to 
be  called  out,  at  the  tap  of  the  drum,  to  put  down  a 
servile  insurrection.  The  commanders  of  these 
drilled  bands  of  men  were  the  leaders,  to  a  great 
extent,  of  the  secession.  Their  seat  of  war  had 
been  transferred  from  their  slave  marts  and  planta 
tions  to  the  lines  confronting  the  Union  colors.  They 
not  only  fought  desperately,  but  they  fought  method 
ically.  Their  best  men  were  soldiers  by  birth,  by 
profession,  and  practice. 

Against  these  chosen  myrmidons  of  the  slave 
power  the  nation  had  hurriedly  assembled,  at  the  call 
of  duty,  such  regular  troops  as  could  be  spared  from 
important  frontier  and  central  -  posts,  and  the  hardy 
volunteers  who  had  rushed  from  their  homesteads 
and  farms,  their  shops  and  ships,  from  road-side  and 
sea-side,  to  defend  the  national  honor  and  preserve 
the  national  life.  Is  it  any  wonder  that,  at  the  first 
onset,  our  undisciplined  ranks,  fight  as  portions  of 
them  might,  would  show  signs  of  precipitancy,  and 
inexperience  ?  Nay,  is  it  not  a  wonder  that  at  the 
commencement  of  this  war,  like  our  fathers  beating 
back  with  their  untried  columns  the  serried  veterans 
of  England,  we  should  have  fought  as  well  as  we  did  ? 
10*  H 


114  WIN  FIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

At  the  time  General  Hancock  engaged  in  his  first 
fight  on  the  lines  of  the  Potomac,  and  in  other  parts 
of  Virginia,  spies  and  artful  emissaries  swarmed  all 
around  him.  He  was  constantly  on  the  alert  for 
these  decoys  of  the  enemy. 

A  few  weeks  after  he  had  gone  to  the  front,  three 
companies  of  the  Cameron  Dragoons,  under  Major  S. 
E.  Smith,  commanded  respectively  by  Captain  Wil 
son,  Company  F,  Lieutenant  Stetson,  Company  H,  and 
Lieutenant  Hess,  Company  C,  were  sent  out  on  a 
scout  along  the  roads  leading  to  Fairfax  Court  House 
and  Hunter's  Mills,  Virginia.  Arriving  at  a  point 
about  a  mile  distant  from  Fairfax  Court  House,  these 
three  officers,  with  eight  privates,  encountered  an 
equal  number  of  the  adverse  cavalry.  They  imme 
diately  attacked  the  enemy,  but  they  fled  in  haste  to 
a  contiguous  cover  of  woods.  In  the  hurry  of  the 
chase  they  passed  through  a  fruit  orchard,  when  one 
of  the  pursued  dismounted,  and  resting  his  five- 
shooter  against  a  tree,  fired  three  shots  at  Major 
Smith.  All  of  them  passed  him. 

The  party  now  attempted  to  draw  the  enemy  from 
their  woody  cover,  but  in  vain.  Soon  after  they 
joined  their  companions  of  the  main  body,  and  rode 
on  to  Hunter's  Mills.  When  near  the  latter  place, 
Captain  Wilson  and  Lieutenant  Stetson  discovered  a 


HIS  FIRST  FIGHT  FOR  THE  UNION.         115 

soldier  —  the  same  who  had  been  trying  to  kill  the" 
Major  with  his  carbine  from  behind  the  shelter  of  a 
tree — now  endeavoring  to  escape.  They  dashed  after 
the  man,  and  soon  returned  with  him  as  a  prisoner 
to  camp.  He  was  immediately  brought  to  the  pres 
ence  of  General  Hancock,  who  recognized  him,  loy 
h;s  appearance,  to  be  a  dangerous  spy. 

"  Your  name  is  Yollin,  I  believe?"  said  the  General. 

"Yes,  sir,"  replied  the  captive,  for  a  moment 
thrown  off  his  guard. 

"Ah!  Yollin — or  Yillain — I  am  glad  to  see  you. 
We  have  been  looking  for  you  for  some  time  past." 

Mr.  Yollin,  or  Yillain,  was  appropriately  cared  for. 
The  General  had  dealt  with  spies  before. 

"You  are  aware  of  the  fate  usually  awarded  to 
spies,  Mr.  Yollin  ?"  continued  Hancock. 

"I — sup — pose — I — am,"  stammered  the  guilty 
wretch. 

"  Then  you  will  please  prepare  for  it  at  your  earli 
est  convenience,  Mr.  Yollin !  Good  morning,  sir." 

The  brigade  of  General  Hancock  was  specially 
serviceable  in  the  work  of  procuring  supplies.  On 
different  occasions  hay,  corn,  sheep,  and  bee/  cattle 
were  brought  in  by  his  men,  to  the  evident  disgust 
of  the  losers  and  to  the  satisfaction  of  all  who  had 
the  right  to  share  in  the  spoils  of  war.  The  enemy 


116  W1NFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

Boon  found  that  their  foraging  parties  were  not  th« 
only  ones  in  the  field. 

On  the  21st  of  October  he  accompanied  and  took 
part  in  the  reconnoissance  made  by  the  heavy  de 
tachment  sent  out  from  his  camp  to  Flint  Hill,  Vir 
ginia.  The  party  consisted  of  portions  of  Mott's  and 
Ayres's  batteries,  and  companies  of  the  Fifth  Begu- 
lars,  and  from  Colonel  Freeman's  regiment  of  artillery 
attached  to  the  Division  of  General  W.  F.  SMITH. 
This  timely  movement  resulted  in  discovering  the 
position  of  the  enemy,  and  the  apparent  number  of 
his  forces  in  the  vicinity.  It  was  one  of  the  first 
reconnoitring  parties  in  which  Hancock  participated 
in  his  new  position  of  Brigadier  General. 

The  spirit  that  animated  the  Union  troops  under 
Hancock,  at  the  time  of  which  we  are  now  writing, 
is  well  illustrated  by  an  incident.  It  is  one  of  many 
of  a  similar  character  then  taking  place. 

After  the  battle  of  Ball's  Bluff,  of  the  21st  of  Oc 
tober,  in  which  the  gifted  and  gallant  Senator  ED 
WARD  D.  BAKER  so  nobly  fell  for  his  country  and 
liberty,  the  brave  soldiers  who  had  borne  themselves 
so  steadily  in  that  fight  were  publicly  addressed : 

"Soldiers!"  said  the  speaker,  "these  are  terrible 
gaps  that  I  see  before  me  in  your  ranks.  They  remind 
me,  and  you  all,  of  our  dead  on  the  field  of  battle; 


HIS  FIRST  FIGHT  FOR  THE  UNION.         117 

of  our  wounded  comrades  in  the  hospitals ;  of  kin 
dred  and  friends  weeping  at  home  for  those  who 
filled  the  vacant  places  that  once  knew  them,  but 
that  shall  now  know  them  no  more  forever. 

Soldiers !  I  ask  you  now  and  here,  in  full  view  of 
all  this,  are  you  ready  again  to  meet  the  rebellious 
foe  ?  Are  you  willing  again  to  peril  your  lives  for 
the  liberties  of  your  country  ?  "Would  you  go  with 
me  to  the  field  to-morrow  ?  "Would  you  go  to-day  ? 
Would  you  go  this  moment  ?" 

There  was  but  the  pause  of  an  instant,  when  the 
reply,  "Yes!"  "Yes I"  "Yes I"  came  with  a  shout 
from  the  thousands  of  the  line. 

The  commander  was  answered. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

The,  Campaign  0/1862.  —  The  Valley  of  the  Shenandoah  —  Burn&idt 
at  Roanoke  Island  —  Big  Bethel  —  A  "Sick  Man"  inconveniently 
Captured  —  "My  Husband's  Aunt  Betty" 


campaign  of  the  Union  forces  in  Virginia 
JL  during  the  winter  of  1862,  with  all  its  quiet, 
possessed  a  great  relative  importance.  The  public 
sentiment  of  the  country,  which  had  been  almost 
wildly  enthusiastic  at  the  first  outbreak  of  the  civil 
war,  was  now  beginning  to  settle  down  on  a  calmer 
basis.  There  was  as  much  real  patriotism  in  the 
land,  but  it  was  not  so  demonstrative  as  it  had  been. 
Our  contest  was  beginning  to  assume  an  overshad 
owing  importance  in  the  eyes  of  the  European  na 
tions.  The  leaders  of  opinion  there  were  evidently 
much  surprised  at  the  extent  of  the  preparations  so 
readily  and  continuously  made  by  the  United  States. 
Our  successes,  notwithstanding  the  manifest  disad 
vantages  under  which  we  fought,  had  more  than 

(118) 


IN  THE  '62  CAMPAIGN.  119 

equalled  our  own  expectations.  The  sentiments  of 
the  masses  of  the  most  intelligent  people  of  Europe 
were  turning  strongly  in  our  favor,  although  the  aris 
tocracy  and  their  allies  endeavored,  by  the  most  infa 
mous  falsehoods,  to  mislead  and  silence  it.  The 
wicked  hope  was  indulged  by  the  enemy  at  home  and 
their  sympathizers  here  and  abroad,  that  the  vast 
multitude  of  the  laboring  classes,  who  were  suffering 
so  bitterly  for  want  of  work  in  consequence  of  the 
famine  of  American  cotton,  would  rise  in  revolt 
against  their  own  rulers,  and  thus,  on  the  plea  of 
domestic  revolution  and  anarchy,  compel  foreign 
governments  to  intervene  in  American  affairs.  This 
would  have  exactly  suited  the  South.  It  was  their 
constant  inspiration,  their  unfailing  aspiration,  by 
day  and  by  night.  Such  an  intervention  as  they 
thus  hoped,  prayed  and  plotted  for,  would  hav« 
brought  us  into  war  with  England  and  France,  com 
pelled  the  opening  of  our  blockaded  ports,  supplied 
the  South  with  money  and  munitions  of  war,  divided 
the  North,  and  secured  an  ignoble  peace  in  the  cer 
tain  destruction  of  the  Union. 

But  the  operations  of  this  gigantic  and  nefarious 
plot  were  no  sooner  commenced  than  they  were  dis 
covered  and  thwarted.  By  the  special  favor  of  that 
Divine  Providence  which,  in  the  language  of  JEFFEB- 


120  WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

SON,  'ever  manifests  its  interest  in  the  affairs  of  na 
tions/  our  crops  bad  been  more  abundant  that  year 
than  ever  before.  We  had  enough  not  only  to  sup 
ply  the  wants  of  the  people  at  home,  to  furnish  the 
vast  rations  required  for  our  immense  arrny  and 
navy,  but  we  were  able  to  begin  to  send  those  car 
goes  of  food  to  the  starving  operatives  abroad,  the 
reception  of  which  during  that  year,  and  the  early 
part  of  the  year  following,  by  these  victims  of  the 
foolish  secession  in  America,  at  once  opened  their 
eyes  to  the  true  nature  of  our  great  struggle,  and 
made  the  vast  majority  of  them,  as  they  are  at  this 
day,  our  firm  and  devoted  friends.  The  threatened 
foreign  revolt  in  favor  of  the  aristocratic  and  slav- 
ocratic  treason  of  America  was  thus  nipped  in  the 
bud.  It  was  literally  choked  in  its  very  birth  with 
the  fulness  of  bread  sent  to  its  needy  cradle  by  the 
American  Union.  The  occupation  of  the  alien  and 
native  plotters  for  the  overthrow  of  our  Kepublic  like 
that  of  Othello,  was  all  gone. 

"  The  cloud-capped  towers,  the  gorgeous  palaces, 
The  solemn  temples," 

which  the  charlatan  oligarchs,  the  sham  aristocrats 
and  lying  priests  of  American  slavery  had  thus  madly 
endeavored  to  rear  on  the  ruins  of  the  United  States, 
were  speedily  dissolved ; 


IN  THE  '62  CAMPAIGN.  121 

• 

"And,  like  an  unsubstantial  pageant  faded, 
Left  not  a  wreck  behind." 

This  mistaken  spirit  of  sympathy  with  the  most 
serious  secession  the  world  ever  saw,  has  since  shown 
itself,  and  will  probably  continue  to  show  itself,  in 
various  ways,  at  different  times  and  places ;  but,  like 
a  serpent  with  its  head  crushed  to  the  earth,  while  it 
may  endeavor  to  '  drag  its  slow  length  along,'  it  must 
sooner  or  later  die  the  accursed  death  it  so  richly 
deserves.  Liberty  must  finally  triumph.  Man,  every 
where,  must  yet  be  free. 

The  encampment  of  the  great  body  of  the  Union 
force  immediately  in  front  of  Washington,  had  this 
effect  not  only  to  afford  complete  protection  to  the 
national  capital  and  to  secure  the  mobilization,  the 
drill,  and  discipline  of  large  masses  of  raw  troops, 
but  it  drove  the  enemy  into  positions  they  were  poorly 
prepared  to  occupy.  It  was  stated,  on  Southern  au 
thority,  that  some  portions  of  the  army  under  their 
General  Lee,  were  reduced  to  the  last  extremities. 
On  one  occasion  he  was  entirely  out  of  provisions, 
not  having  the  means  to  cook  the  next  meal  for  him 
self,  or  to  serve  the  next  ration  to  his  soldiers.  His 
outposts  were  abandoned,  one  after  another,  and  he 
made  the  best  of  his  way  to  his  winter  quarters.  In 
this  expedient  he  was  compelled  to  take  the  only 
11 


122  WIN  FIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

« 

position  lie  could  maintain  in  all  that  part  of  Vir 
ginia  he  endeavored  to  occupy.  This  was  the  first 
lesson  of  the  kind  taught  the  haughty  leaders  of  the 
rebellion ;  and  it  is  evident  that  its  effect  was  not  lost 
upon  them,  nor  on  those  they  so  madly  led  into  dan 
ger  in  so  bad  a  cause. 

Several  important  skirmishes  occurred  during  this 
winter.  The  South's  foraging  parties  were  frequently 
met  by  those  of  the  Union,  affording  fresh  opportu 
nities  to  prove  the  mettle  of  our  men.  On  one  occa 
sion,  the  active  General  Stuart,  on  whose  dauntless 
prowess  much  dependence  was  placed  by  his  associ 
ates  and  followers  in  the  South,  was  met  by  the  Union 
General  Ord,  and  severely  worsted.  Stuart  had  with 
him  in  his  foray  four  regiments  of  infanty  and  a  six- 
gun  battery ;  but  he  was  completely  routed,  losing 
many  in  killed  and  prisoners. 

The  spring  of  1862  opened  on  the  country  under 
a  steady  advance  of  the  Union  cause.  Our  limits 
confine  us  more  particularly  to  those  events  in  which 
General  Hancock  took  an  immediate  part.  The  very 
important  Confederate  position  at  Port  Koyal,  South 
Carolina,  had  been  captured  late  the  preceding  fall. 
Several  battles  had  been  won  in  Missouri,  Kentucky, 
at  Fort  Pulaski,  Georgia,  and  on  the  Western  waters, 
and  a  new  impulse  given  to  the  navy  by  the  launching 


IN  THE  '62  CAMPAIGN.  123 

of  several  of  the  nevr  iron  Monitors.     The  pulse  of 
the  people  beat  stronger  than  ever  for  the  Union. 

The  Union  forces  under  General  BANKS  were  ad 
vancing  through  the  Yalley  of  the  Shenandoah,  and 
the  general  aspects  of  the  campaign  were  favorable ; 
but  the  first  great  movement  of  the  spring  of  '62  was 
that  made  on  the  Virginia  Peninsula,  in  the  direction 
of  Eichmond. 

The  period  of  muster  and  drill  in  encampment  had 
passed.  The  commanding  General  of  that  portion 
of  the  national  forces  known  as  the  army  of  the 
Potomac,  addressed  his  troops  with  the  assurance 
that  he  considered  them  'magnificent  in  material, 
admirable  in  discipline  and  instruction,  excellently 
equipped  and  armed,'  and  led  by  commanders  who 
were  all  that  could  be  desired.  Heroic  exertions, 
rapid  and  long  marches,  desperate  conflicts  and  se 
vere  privations  were  announced  as  before  them. 

It  was  now  the  middle  of  March,  and  the  glorious 
news  had  come  of  the  victory  of  BURXSIDE  over  the 
South  at  Eoanoke  Island  and  Newbern,  North  Caro 
lina.  By  this  victory  we  had  captured  three  ligbi 
batteries  of  field  artillery,  forty-six  heavy  siege  guns, 
large  stores  of  fixed  ammunition,  three  thousand 
stands  of  small  arms,  and  several  thousand  prisoners. 

The  important  preparations  for  the  contemplated 


124  WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

onward  movement  were  completed  in  March,  and 
near  the  close  of  that  month  the  army  was  transferred 
from  its  camp,  fronting  Washington,  to  the  Peninsular 
region  extending  from  Fortress  Monroe,  in  Virginia, 
up  the  waters  of  the  James  and  York  rivers. 

Our  first  reconnoissance  in  that  direction  resulted 
in  our  occupying  the  commanding  and  somewhat 
celebrated  position  of  Big  Bethel.  It  was  at  this 
point,  about  a  year  before,  that  one  of  our  first  bat 
tles  occurred  with  the  enemy  —  resulting,  in  conse 
quence  of  false  information  given  by  scouts,  in  the 
ieath  of  Major  THEODORE  WINTHROP  and  Lieuten 
ant  JOHN  T.  GREBLE  —  two  of  the  most  accomplished 
and  gallant  soldiers  in  the  United  States  army. 

The  occupation  of  this  post  by  our  troops  was  a 
surprise  as  well  as  a  disadvantage  to  the  enemy.  A 
strong  detachment  of  infantry,  cavalry  and  artillery 
was  detailed  for  the  purpose,  accompanied  by  two 
companies  of  Berdan's  Sharp-shooters,  in  the  advance. 
Gray  coats,  as  usual,  were  met  at  various  points  of 
the  route.  Every  bush,  and  house,  and  fence  was 
carefully  watched  for  the  peering  eye  or  rifle  of  some 
hidden  enemy.  But  only  women  and  children  were 
to  be  seen.  If  there  were  any  secession  belligerents 
about,  they  were  too  closely  hid  to  be  seen  by  our 
advance.  Some  of  the  Union  yeomanry  looked  good- 


IN  THE  '62  CAMPAIGN.  125 

naturedly  at  us  from   their  fields,  door-yards   and 
piazzas,  as  we  passed  silently  on. 

There  are  numerous  comfortable  and  handsome 
mansions  in  this  vicinity.  The  soil  and  climate  are 
highly  favorable  to  agriculture,  and  the  associations 
of  the  route  gave  a  peculiar  interest  to  the  march. 
But  the  most  of  the  mansions  and  plantations  were 
deserted,  their  late  occupants  having  taken  service  in 
the  opposing  army. 

As  our  troops  passed  from  the  open  country  into 
the  woody  interval  occupied  by  the  works  of  Big 
Bethel,  they  found  that  the  enemy  had  deserted  them. 
This  was  rather  a  surprise  to  us ;  for,  after  the  boast 
ing  we  had  heard  that  the  chivalry  never  would  run, 
whatever  might  be  the  odds  against  them,  we  ex 
pected,  of  course,  they  would  make  a  stand  here  — 
especially  as  their  works  were  strong  and  well  sur 
rounded  for  defence. 

There  were  five  breastworks  in  the  fortification, 
each  a  few  rods  in  length.  Three  of  them  mounted 
one  gun.  The  other  two  were  of  greater  dimensions, 
mounting  six  guns  each.  On  the  right  flank  was  a 
dense  grove,  which  afforded  material  protection. 
The  broad  space  in  front,  a  part  of  which  was  marshy 
and  miry,  sloped  toward  the  York  river,  and  was 
fully  commanded  by  the  guns. 
11* 


126  WIN  FIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

It  was  soon  perceived  that  there  were  gray  soldiers 
on  the  opposite  shore  of  the  stream.  A  few  shots 
sent  among  them  by  our  sharp-shooters  caused  a 
speedy  stampede.  In  their  flight  they  attempted  to 
tear  up  the  planks  of  the  intervening  bridge ;  but  a 
few  more  shots  taught  them  to  be  more  accommodat 
ing  to  travellers.  The  planks  partially  removed  were 
soon  replaced ;  but  the  enemy  had  gained  so  much 
the  start,  and  ran  so  fast,  our  men  could  not  catch 
them. 

In  one  of  the  contiguous  houses  a  trick  was  dis 
covered,  which,  considering  it  was  done  by  a  chival 
rous  Virginian,  is  almost  equal  to  anything  of  the 
kind  achieved  by  a  despised  '  Yankee.'  As  our  troops 
entered  they  were  accosted  by  the  lady  occupant : 

"  What  do  yer  want  here  ?" 

"  We  are  looking  for  Secesh,  madam." 

"  Well !  there  ain't  none  in  this  house !  An'  you'n 
better  clear  out,  mighty  quick !" 

"  It  is  our  orders  to  search  every  house,  madam ; 
and  we  cannot  leave  until  we  have  searched  yours." 

"  Sarch  my  house,  yer  mean  Yankees !  I  should 
like  to  see  yer  do  it !" 

"  You  will  have  that  pleasure,  then,  madam ;  for 
we  shall  certainly  look  through  your  premises,  from 
garret  to  cellar." 


IN  TEE  '62  CAMPAIGN.  127 

"  Yer  will  ?  Well,  if  yer  will,  yer  must.  But'n  y  er 
won't  find  nobody  'yere  but  a  pewer  old  sick  un." 

"  Is  it  a  sick  man,  madam  ?" 

"No!  yer  'quisitive  critters!  It's  my  husband's 
aunt  Betty.  Been  sick  for  goin'  on  ten  yeres." 

"Where  is  she?" 

"  Up  charmber,  there !" 

Without  more  ceremony  our  troops  passed  into  the 
attic,,  and  there,  between  the  sheets,  half-hidden  by  a 
bed-rid  crone,  they  found  a  gray  uniform  lying  at 
his  length,  with  his  boots  on !  He  had  not  even 
taken  the  trouble  to  brush  them,  nor  in  any  way  to 
arrange  his  dress  as  he  sought  his  couch,  being 
covered  from  head  to  foot  with  spatterings  of  mud 
and  water.  The  '  sleeping  beauty/  as  our  men  called 
him,  was  tenderly  rolled  out  on  the  floor,  and  ma/ie 
a  prize  of  war. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

» 

Hancock  at  Yorktou)n — One  of  the  Decisive  Issues  of  the  War  — 
"Wave,  Richmond,  all  thy  Banners  Wave!"  but,  still  they  Waved 
in  Vain  —  Hancock  Breveted  Major  in  the  United  States  Regular 
Army. 

ON  the  15th  of  April,  1862,  the  national  troops 
advanced  from  Old  Point  Comfort,  Virginia, 
where  they  had  landed  from  Washington,  toward 
Yorktown.  This  memorable  spot,  it  will  be  recol 
lected,  is  the  site  of  the  surrender  of  Lord  COKNWAL- 
LIS  to  General  WASHINGTON,  near  the  close  of  the 
Kevolutionary  war.  It  is  one  of  the  oldest  towns  in 
the  country,  the  capital  of  York  county,  and  situated 
on  the  right  bank  of  the  York  river,  about  seventy 
miles  south  of  Richmond.  English  settlers  first 
reached  there  in  the  year  1705.  It  was  once  quite  a 
flourishing  place;  but  the  deleterious  influences  at 
work  have*  been  its  bane  for  more  than  a  century. 
It  now  numbers  only  forty  houses  within  its  precincts. 
The  position  is  commanding,  especially  with  refer- 

(128; 


AT  YORKTOWN.  129 

once  to  the  passage  of  vessels,  and  the  enemy  had 
resolved  to  make  the  most  of  it.  They  threw  up 
strong  entrenchments,  mounted  some  of  the  largest 
guns  they  could  command,  especially  those  stolen 
from  the  United  States  Navy  Yard  at  the  contiguous 
port  of  Norfolk,  and  garrisoned  it  with  about  ten 
thousand  picked  troops,  under  Magruder,  one  of  theii 
most  energetic  and  undaunted  commanders.  This 
skilful  soldier  had  served  for  many  years  in  the  Union 
army,  had  received  his  education  at  the  national  mili 
tary  school,  at  the  expense  of  the  American  people, 
and,  with  all  his  crude  vagaries,  was  considered  one 
of  our  best  artillery  officers.  He  was  one  of  those 
very  peculiar  men  who  keep  up  a  seeming  of  war 
by  means  of  bluster ;  who  love  to  fire  guns  for  the 
mere  purpose  of  making  a  noise ;  and  who  hold  a 
continuance  of  peace  by  a  show  of  power  which  they 
do  not  possess. 

It  was  emphatically  so  at  Yorktown.  But  the 
Union  army,  not  being  aware  how  comparatively 
inferior  the  defences  and  small  the  garrison  of  York- 
town  really  wei3,  passed  on  to  its  conquest  with 
almost  its  entire  strength. 

The  advance  was  begun  on  the  4th  of  April,  with 
General  Morrill's  brigade,  of  General  Porter's  divi 
sion,  in"  the  night ;  two  companies  of  the  Third  Penn 

I 


130  WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

sylvania  cavalry  and  a  portion  of  Berdan's  Sharp 
shooters,  who  had  just  rendered  such  effective  service 
at  Big  Bethel,  deployed  as  skirmishers.  The  advance 
rested  at  a  spot  within  six  miles  of  Yorktown,  and 
at  ten  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  5th  they  were 
in  front  of  the  ramparts  of  the  enemy. 

Magruder,  according  to  his  invariable  custom  of 
bluster,  soon  opened  fire,  regardless  of  consequences. 
He  was  promptly  replied  to  by  the  batteries  of  Cap 
tain  Griffin,  the  Third  and  Fourth  Ehode  Island  and 
Fifth  Massachusetts,  who  sent  back  two  shots  for  every 
one  from  the  enemy.  The  cannonading  continued 
briskly  until  sunset. 

The  fight  was  resumed  the  ensuing  day,  the  brig 
ade  of  General  Hancock  being  early  in  the  field,  and 
taking  an  active  part.  The  artillery  firing  was  con 
stant  on  both  sides.  Every  attempt  of  the  enemy  to 
make  sorties  and  charges  resulted  disastrously.  They 
were  always  glad  to  retreat  behind  their  entrench 
ments.  The  great  body  of  our  men  had  never  been 
under  fire,  but  those  in  view  of  the  vigilant  eye  of 
Hancock  were  kept  bravely  up  to  the  work,  his  expe 
rience  in  artillery  practice  being  of  great  service. 
As  the  sun  of  the  afternoon,  deflecting  from  the  water, 
glanced  on  our  bright  pieces,  they  afforded  a  good 
mark  for  the  enemy,  who  made  the  most  of  theii 


AT  YORKTOWN.  131 

position  behind  their  high  ramparts.  New  troops 
coming  on  the  ground,  relieved  the  exposed  and 
wearied  gunners.  The  Sixth  Rhode  Island  battery 
and  Fifth  Massachusetts,  arriving  in  the  height  of 
this  part  of  the  engagement,  rendered  most  important 
service.  It  was  quite  near  sundown  when  the  last 
gun  was  fired.  Our  men  always  took  care  to  have 
the  closing  shot. 

On  a  subseqent  day  General  Hancock  led  in  person 
a  portion  of  his  brigade  into  the  open  field  in  front 
of  the  enemy.  It  was  one  of  the  most  exposed  posi 
tions  yet  occupied  by  our  army.  His  object  was  to 
drive  a  body  of  pickets  from  a  piece  of  woods  they 
occupied,  in  close  proximity  to  the  national  works. 
The  troops  advanced  through  the  open  area,  in  the 
face  of  a  deadly  fire,  drawing  themselves  directly  to 
ward  the  enemy,  on  their  hands  and  knees.  They 
were  now  within  close  musket-range. 

The  gray  coats  were  cunningly  secreted  behind 
trees  and  stumps,  and  anxious  to  induce  our  men  to 
rise  to  their  feet  in  order  that  they  might  have  a  bet 
ter  chance  to  shoot  them  down,  while  they  themselves 
were  under  cover.  To  accomplish  this  object  one  of 
their  wily  Captains  shouted  the  word  "Charge!" — in 
the  vain  hope  that  the  Union  boys  would  spring  to 
their  feet  at  the  sound,  and  run.  But  he  and  his  daring 


132  WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

allies  were  very  much,  mistaken.  "We  did  nothing 
of  the  sort;  but,  on  the  contrary,  kept  our  recum 
bent  position  unchanged,  every  man  with  his  gun 
loaded  and  cocked,  his  bayonet  fixed,  and  steadily 
advancing  on  the  foe. 

Again  came  the  plucky  Captain's  command : 

"  Charge  bayonet !  " 

This  time  his  command  rose  to  their  feet,  as  if  to 
rush  forward  upon  us.  But  before  they  had  moved 
an  inch,  a  command  came  from  Hancock's  side : 

"Fire!" 

The  well-aimed  rifles  blazed  in  an  instant  in  the 
very  faces  of  the  enemy.  They  fell  back  in  dismay, 
leaving  their  dead  and  wounded  behind  them  on  the 
field. 

During  the  skirmish  a  new  hidden  battery,  which 
had  been  erected  only  the  previous  Sunday  night, 
opened  on  our  men,  with  the  intention  of  driving  off 
the  advance.  But  the  guns  of  Hancock  soon  silenced 
and  dismantled  it. 

This  was  a  sudden  and  severe  lesson  to  the  enemy. 
They  had  foolishly  supposed,  it  seems,  that  the  na 
tional  troops  were  all,  or  nearly  all,  especially  the  vol 
unteers,  terribly  afraid  of  the  idea  of  being  charged 
upon  by  cold  steel.  They  even  went  so  far  in  their 
folly  as  to  suppose  that  if  they  should  only  cry 


AT  YORKTOWN.  133 

to  their  men,  in  the  face  of  our  advancing  columns, 
the  word  "  Charge !"  we  should  instantly  take  to  our 
heels  and  scamper  from  the  field. 

This  experience  with  the  brave  men  under  Han 
cock  taught  them  a  different  and  very  salutary  lesson. 

It  is  evident  from  the  history  of  the  comments 
made  upon  it  by  the  Southern  press,  that  the  position 
at  Yorktown  was  held  to  be  of  the  greatest  import 
ance  to  the  continued  success  of  the  rebellion.  One 
of  the  editors,  speaking  by  authority,  on  the  15th  of 
April,  says: 

"The  issue  at  Yorktown  is  tremendous.  When 
the  battle  does  come  off  it  will  be  a  fearful  one,  for 
the  stake  is  enormous.  Confederate  leaders  and  sol 
diers  feel  that  the  issue  involves  the  fate  of  the  coun 
try.  The  contest  cannot  long  be  deferred.  The  news 
of  a  terrible  battle  may  startle  us  at  any  moment. 

"Wave,  Richmond!  all  thy  banners  wave, 
And  charge  with  all  thy  chivalry ! 

"  Not  only  the  fate  of  the  temporary  seat  of  govern 
ment,  but  of  Eastern  Virginia,  and  even  more  than 
that  trembles  in  the  balance. 

"  We  presume  that  President  DAVIS  himself  will 
be  on  the  field,  as  he  has  intimated." 

Immediately  after  the  appearance  of  this  fiery  out 
burst  of  chivalric  eloquence,  the  enemy  began  the 
12 


134:  WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

construction  of  large  forti/ications  on  the  Gloucester 
side  of  Yorktown.  The  vorks  were  in  sight  of  the 
Union  gunboats.  About  one  thousand  men  were  at 
work  on  the  fortifications',  but  the  arrival  of  the 
gunboat  Sebago,  with  a  hundred-pound  rifled  Parrott 
gun,  soon  dispersed  the  enemy.  She  threw  her  shot, 
at  the  distance  of  three  miles,  which  were  so  well 
aimed  that  they  could  be  seen  falling  in  the  midst  of 
the  foemen  and  exploding  with  fatal  effect.  The  killed 
and  wounded  were  carried  off  by  the  enemy  in  con 
siderable  numbers,  and  the  remaining  combatants 
were  glad  to  hide  themselves  under  the  cover  of  the 
adjacent  woods.  At  every  attempt  to  renew  their 
work  they  were  driven  back,  and  finally  compelled 
to  abandon  it. 

Our  assaults  on  the  Yorktown  works  now  con 
tinued  for  several  days  in  succession.  The  weather 
was  favorable  for  operations,  and  our  army  made  the 
most  of  it.  Occasional  attempts  at  sorties  were  made 
by  the  enemy — on  one  evening  with  a  force  of  three 
thousand  men  —  but  they  were  invariably  repulsed 
with  severe  loss  to  our  opponents. 

By  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  of  Monday,  April 
17th,  a  section  of  Union  artillery  was  planted  within 
half  a  mile  of  the  Secesh  works,  near  the  river,  and 


AT  YORKTOWN.  135 

well  supported  by  infantry.  Their  outworks  were 
assailed  from  this  point  with  good  effect. 

On  the  morning  following,  the  enemy  advanced 
with  a  force  of  one  thousand  men,  and  commenced 
to  strengthen  one  of  their  batteries  located  about 
three  miles  to  the  left  of  Yorktown.  A  battery  was 
very  soon  brought  to  bear  on  them,  when  they  were 
not  only  reduced  to  terms  of  quiet,  but  compelled  to 
beat  a  very  hasty  retreat.  A  brisk  fire  was  kept  up 
by  our  guns  for  four  hours ;  during  which  all  their 
cannon  were  dismounted  without  the  ceremony  of 
being  unlimbered. 

The  Union  gunboats  advanced  nearer  to  the  seat 
of  the  action  as  it  progressed.  On  the  24th  of  April 
one  moved  up  Wormley's  creek,  early  in  the  morn 
ing,  and  threw  her  shells  with  force  at  the  earth 
works.  At  a  distance  of  four  miles,  the  shells  ex 
ploded  in  the  midst  of  the  enemy. 

A  dashing  movement  was  made  on  an  advanced 
lunette  of  the  enemy,  early  in  the  morning  of  April 
28th,  by  company  H,  of  the  First  Massachusetts 
regiment.  The  works  were  carried,  and  the  enemy, 
consisting  of  two  companies  of  infantry,  driven  back. 
Our  men  moved  over  open,  soft  ground,  some  six 
hundred  yards,  receiving  the  fire  of  the  South  at  a  dis 
tance  of  fifty  yards ;  they  did  not  return  it,  but  rushed 


136  WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

over  the  ditch  and  parapet  in  the  most  gallant  man- 
ner.  The  enemy  were  not  prepared  for  so  chivalrous 
an  act  from  the  scorned  Northrons.  They  broke  and 
ran  in  all  directions  the  moment  they  saw  the  heads 
of  our  men  coming  up  the  glacis  and  over  the  sum 
mit.  "We  took  a  number  of  prisoners,  and  effectually 
destroyed  the  works. 

On  the  2d  of  May  the  Union  siege  batteries  opened 
on  the  whole  length  of  the  enemy's  line.  The  effect 
was  very  severe.  Our  own  works  had  been  con 
structed  with  great  care,  and  the  guns  placed  in  posi 
tion  were  of  the  heaviest  calibre  suitable  for  such  a 
siege.  The  firing  was  kept  up  on  both  sides,  for  a 
time,  with  great  animation,  although  the  loss  of  life 
was  comparatively  small. 

Our  environment  of  the  works  had  been  complete. 
The  Union  parallels  and  batteries  had  gone  up  day 
by  day,  night  by  night,  within  point-blank  range 
of  the  enemy.  His  fire  had  been  unceasing,  and,  at 
times,  vexatious.  But  it  was  not  long  ere  we  had 
more  than  one  hundred  siege  guns  and  mortars  in 
favorable  positions  for  the  reduction  of  the  walls. 

The  sending  of  a  war-balloon  from  our  side  on  the 
afternoon  of  the  3d  of  May,  and  the  display  of  large 
signal  lanterns  in  the  evening,  gave  the  enemy  cer 
tain  ranges  for  their  guns,  which  opportunities  ihey 


AT  YORKTOWN.  137 

promptly  improved.  But  at  the  hour  of  midnight 
the  shelling  from  the  fort  slackened,  and  bright  lights 
in  the  vicinity  of  the  water  batteries  of  the  enemy 
attracted  our  attention.  Near  daylight  followed  a 
series  of  minute  guns  from  inside  the  works.  As 
the  morning  advanced,  and  they  grey  mist  lifted  from 
the  waters  of  the  river  and  the  adjacent  lowlands, 
floating  away  like  gossamer  in  the  breeze  from  Hamp 
ton  Roads,  it  was  discovered  that  the  strategic  oppo 
nents  had  deserted  their  -entrenched  post,  and  left  us 
the  works  so  carefully  and  solidly  created.  York- 
town  was  evacuated ! 

At  six  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  4th  of  May, 
detachments  of  Union  troops  from  Massachusetts, 
New  York  and  Pennsylvania  marched  over  the  ram 
parts  and  occupied  the  deserted  fort.  In  a  moment 
more  the  national  ensign,  full  and  free,  floated  from 
the  abandoned  flagstaff,  and  the  victorious  troops 
greeted  it  with  hearty  cheers. 

The  victory  was  complete  and  a  great  one.  The 
gray  coats  had  held  Yorktown  with  over  ten  thou 
sand  of  their  picked  men.  They  had  kept  at  work 
for  months  three  thousand  slaves,  building  fortifica 
tions  and  locating  guns.  The  works  were  of  the 
strongest  kind  then  constructed  in  the  country.  They 
formed  an  immense  connected  fortification,  with  ita 
12* 


138  WZNFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

numerous  salient  angles.  The  ditches  were  deep,  the 
parapets  lofty,  and  difficult  to  scale.  The  water  bat 
tery  below  commanded  the  river  on  the  Yorktown 
side,  while  that  at  Gloucester  Point,  on  the  opposite 
shore,  was  equally  effective.  The  guns  were  the  best 
that  could  then  be  obtained  —  a  portion  of  them  in 
most  commanding  positions  being  Dahlgrens,  Colum- 
biads  and  sea-coast  pieces  of  good  range.  An  im 
mense  area  in  front  of  the  works,  over  which  the 
Union  troops  would  have  been  compelled  to  march, 
in  case  an  assault  had  been  attempted,  was  swept 
completely  by  opposing  fires.  Deep  gorges,  ravines 
and  swamps  were  all  around  and  inside  the  fortifica 
tions,  presenting  the  most  formidable  natural  obsta 
cles  to  our  advancing  columns. 

The  occupation  of  Yorktown  gave  us  possession, 
with  the  fort,  of  eighty  guns  in  all,  and  a  large  amount 
of  material  of  war.  There  were  four  magazines  in  a 
good  state  of  preservation. 

On  arriving  inside  the  fort,  the  enemy's  tents 
were  found  standing  in  all  directions.  Some  of 
these  were  daubed  on  their  sides  with  clever  'cari 
catures  of  the  Union  troops ;  but,  luckily  for  the 
artists,  it  was  not  quite  convenient  for  them  to 
stay  and  defend  their  characteristic  specimens  of 
humorous  art.  For  urgent  private  reasons  they 


AT  YOEKTOWN.  139 

preferred  to  leave  their  galleries  to  be  admired 
by  "the  eyes  of  their  invading  foes,  acting  on  the 
impulse  of  the  old  distich  : 

"He  who  fights,  and  runs  away, 
May  live  to  fight  —  another  day." 

It  was  rumored  that  Mr.  DAVIS,  the  President  of  the 
insurgent  Southern  Confederacy,  and  the  noted  Gen 
erals  LEE  and  BEAU  KEG  ARD,  were  present  in  York- 
town,  while  the  closing  part  of  the  siege  was  in  pro 
gress;  and  that,  after  much  altercation,  they  ordered 
the  evacuation.  On  the  memorable  night  of  that  dis 
tracted  council,  while  the  Union  guns  were  thunder 
ing  at  the  gate  for  admission,  the  already  defeated 
foe,  with  daring  ingenuity,  secretly  buried  percus 
sion  torpedoes  in  all  the  passages  and  approaches. 
It  was  not  chivalry,  but  war.  A  single  explosion 
sufficed  to  warn  us  of  danger,  and  to  thwart  com 
pletely  the  artful  plan. 

But  the  works  were  ours.  Another  gateway  to 
Eichmond,  the  Mecca  of  our  hopes,  was  entered 
and  possessed ;  and  it  remains  in  the  hands  of  the 
Union  to  this  day.  There,  with  all  its  sacred  Eevo- 
lutionary  records,  may  it  remain  forever ! 

General  Hancock  was  breveted  Major  in  the  United 
States  Eegular  Army  for  his  meritorious  conduct  at 
Yorktown,  his  brevet  dating  from  the  4th  of  May,  1862. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

The  Brilliant  Victory  at  Williamsburg  —  "  Gentlemen,  Charge  /"-• 
27ie  Field  on  which  Hancock  Earned  the  Title  of  "  SUPEBB  "  —« 
The  Enemy  Routed  out  of  their  Entrenchments. 


battle  of  Williamsburg,  Virginia,  was  fought 
JL  on  the  4th  of  May,  1862.  The  Union  advance, 
leaving  Yorktown  in  the  possession  of  a  sufficient 
garrison,  reached  the  rear  of  the  enemy,  under  one 
of  their  best  leaders,  General  J.  E.  Johnson,  on  the 
morning  of  that  day.  The  battle  commenced  imme 
diately,  and  was  continued,  at  intervals,  until  after 
sundown. 

The  march  from  Yorktown  to  Williamsburg  had 
been  made  with  much  caution.  It  was  a  surprise  to 
the  enemy.  He  had  no  idea  we  would  leave  our  en 
trenched  works  at  the  former  place  so  soon  after 
possessing  them.  White  flags  skirted  the  road  aa 
our  troops  passed  on.  The  male  occupants  of  tho 
houses  had  nearly  all  fled,  leaving  behind  their 
women,  children,  and  servants. 

In  the  vicinity  of  Williamsburg  the  enemy  had 

(140) 


AT  WILLIAMSBURG.  141 

thrown  up  strong  entrenchments.  Their  force  had 
been  materially  increased  by  additions  from  Eich- 
mond  and  other  camps.  It  was  evident  they  were 
bent  on  making  a  determined  stand. 

The  morning  of  our  approach  was  dark  and  dreary. 
The  rain  fell  in  torrents.  Hooker,  Smith,  Kearney 
and  Heintzleman  were  among  the  first  to  enter  the 
action.  It  raged  during  the  day,  and  by  four  o'clock 
in  the  afternoon  was  at  its  height.  Many  of  the  offi 
cers  and  men  were  under  fire  for  the  first  time,  in  the 
open  field  of  battle.  Several  of  the  youngest  of  the 
former  were  subject  to  the  most  trying  ordeals  of 
their  courage  and  presence  of  mind,  as  they  rode,  in 
the  position  of  Aids,  among  the  descending  showers 
of  shot  and  shell. 

General  Keyes  came  up  with  a  divison  of  reinforce 
ments  at  a  critical  juncture,  aided  by  that  venerable 
officer,  General  Casey.  Couch,  followed  by  a  consid 
erable  body  of  cavalry  and  artillery,  joined  in  the 
fight  at  this  point,  on  the  left,  while  Hancock  was 
pressing  the  enemy  on  the  right.  Our  troops  fought 
with  heroic  valor.  The  vacancies  rapidly  made  in 
the  lines  were  as  rapidly  filled ;  and  the  surging  col 
umns  pressed  steadily  on,  meeting  the  enemy  face  to 
face,  shot  for  shot,  man  for  man. 

General  Hancock  had  called  for  reinforcements,  and 


142  WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SOW. 

the  troops  nobly  responded.  Just  as  the  sun  was 
going  down,  while  the  torrents  of  rain  were  yet  fall 
ing,  Hancock  made  that  brilliant  charge  that  must 
forever  associate  his  name  with  peculiar  honor  in 
the  battle  of  Williamsburg.  The  enemy  had  massed 
a  strong  force  on  his  front,  and  had  made  several 
fearful  chasms  in  his  nearest  ranks.  Riding  to  the 
centre,  and  quickly  passing  the  words,  "Fix  bayo 
nets!"  he  paused  at  the  chosen  point,  and  waving  his 
hat,  gave  the  memorable  order  to  his  officers : 

"Gentlemen!  Charge!" 

The  brilliancy  and  effect  with  which  that  courteous 
order  was  obeyed  at  that  instant  will  never  be  for 
gotten.  The  Confeds  were  swept  before  it,  like  chaff 
before  a  whirlwind.  Officers,  men,  horses,  artillery, 
were  borne  back  in  confusion  and  dismay,  rendering 
the  rout  of  the  foe  one  of  the  most  signal  ever  wit 
nessed  on  any  field  of  any  war.  All  the  works  on 
the  right  of  the  Union  line  were  captured  at  a  blow. 
The  enemy  were  flanked  on  their  left,  and  rolled  up 
over  the  earth  like  a  parchment  scroll.  The  move 
ment  was  masterly.  The  success  was  complete.  A  a 
the  news  of  it  ran  along  the  lines,  and  reached  the 
headquarters  of  the  army,  cheer  followed  cheer  on 
all  sides,  and  the  enthusiasm  of  the  troops  kindled 
before  it  as  a  harbinger  of  victory.  The  most  hearty 


AT  W1LIJAMSBURG.  143 

congratulations  surrounded  Hancock  from  all  his 
associates,  and  his  character  for  brilliancy  and  dash 
as  a  soldier  took  a  nobler  hue  than  ever  from  that 
moment. 

Eeinf or  cements  now  continued  to  press  forward. 
As  night  closed  in  we  had  full  possession  of  all  the 
fortifications  on  our  front.  Hancock  passed  the  night 
before  them,  on  the  field.  The  brave  troops  around 
him  rested  on  their  victorious  arms.  Neither  their 
General  nor  they  heeded  that  they  were  wet  with  the 
drenching  rain,  spattered  with  mud,  weary  and  hun 
gry.  Through  the  descending  rain  of  that  stormy 
night,  their  watchfires  were  kindled  only  to  show 
them  the  conquered  enemy  beyond.  They  demanded 
to  be  led  again  by  Hancock  in  another  charge.  The 
veterans  among  them  thought  of  their  bivouacs  with 
him  in  Mexico,  when  he  was  a  young  Lieutenant ; 
and  they  longed  to  follow  him  now  as  a  General  to 
new  fields  of  glory.  The  darkness  could  not  hide 
from  their  vision  the  dear  old  flag ;  the  chilly  night- 
air  could  not  dampen  their  ardor  in  its  defence  ;  the 
presence  of  the  enemy  in  force,  just  in  front,  could 
not  check  their  purpose  to  stand  or  fall  for  the  Union 
which  those  tremendous  hosts  had  aimed  to  destroy. 

Xoble  army  of  martyrs  for  American  Liberty  !  It 
required  all  the  coolness  and  discipline,  all  the  vigor 


144  WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

and  persuasion  of  Hancock,  to  keep  them  that  night 
within  his  lines.  Had  he  but  given  the  word,  they 
would  have  rushed  forward  with  him,  again  and 
again,  in  fiery  onsets  on  their  country's  foes. 

The  following  morning  came  with  a  bright  and 
biacing  air.  Our  troops  were  better  prepared  than 
ever  for  the  renewal  of  the  fight.  But  the  word 
soon  came  from  Hancock,  still  in  the  advance  on  the 
right,  that  the  enemy  had  fled.  They  had  availed 
themselves  of  the  darkness  and  storm  of  the  night  to 
steal  away,  leaving  their  deserted  fortifications  for  our 
advancing  forces  to  enter. 

This  opening  field  fight  of  that  campaign  afforded 
many  striking  illustrations  of  the  republican  nature 
of  the  struggle  on  the  Union  side.  Among  our  offi 
cers  were  several  gentlemen  of  foreign  birth,  and 
some  native  born  of  great  wealth  and  high  position 
in  American  society.  Of  these,  as  the  morning  broke 
after  the  battle,  Count  de  Paris  could  be  seen  plough 
ing  his  way  knee-deep  through  the  Virginia  mud, 
with  his  bag  of  corn  on  his  shoulder,  which  he  had 
just  filled  at  a  neighboring  crib,  and  with  which  he 
was  to  feed  his  horse.  Mr.  Astor,  of  New  York,  on 
the  staff  of  the  Commanding  General,  might  be  dis 
covered  washing  the  mud  from  his  steed,  and  attend 
ing  to  grooming  and  culinary  matters  generally,  on 


AT  WILLIAMSBURG.  145 

his  own  account.  In  the  hospitals  and  on  the  field, 
officers  and  men  were  helping  each  other  indiscrimi 
nately;  together  bearing  the  burdens  as  together 
they  shared  the  honors  of  war. 

The  works  captured  from  the  enemy  by  the  brave 
exploit  of  Hancock  were  found  to  be  of  a  formidable 
character.  The  gallant  charge  he  made  was  not  a 
mere  bloody  display  of  valor.  Its  results  were 
tangible,  and  valuable  to  the  cause.  The  enemy  had 
come  upon  him  with  a  furious  onset.  They  evidently 
calculated  that  he  would  fall  an  easy  prey  to  their 
yelling  assault.  A  man  with  less  invincible  courage, 
with  less  firmness  of  resolution  than  he,  would  have 
fallen  back,  and  waited  for  still  more  reinforcements. 
But  the  moment  the  additional  troops  he  sent  for 
rallied  around  him,  that  moment  he  advanced — giv 
ing  assault  for  assault,  and  closing  the  day  with  his 
steady  charge  of  the  deadly  bayonet.  Not  until 
the  enemy  was  close  upon  him,  not  until  he  could 
see  their  eyes  peering  into  those  of  his  own  men,  not 
until  they  had  swept  far  across  the  open  field  that 
intervened  between  the  opposing  lines,  did  he  give 
the  memorable  or  ler  that  has  so  honorably  associated 
his  name  with  the  victory  of  that  day. 

It  is  admitted  on  all  hands  that  the  bearing  of  the 
foe  was  most  gallant.  His  ranks  wore  composed  of 

13  K 


146  WINFIELD,   THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

Virginia,  Georgia  and  North  Carolina  troops,  who 
literally  strewed  the  ground  with  their  dead  ere  they 
yielded  to  the  impetuous  valor  of  Hancock.  Acres 
of  felled  and  tangled  trees,  long  lines  of  strongly- 
built  entrenchments,  showed  the  fixed  purpose  of 
the  enemy  to  hold  their  ground  to  the  last.  Their 
ammunition  was  abundant  and  their  fire  most  gall 
ing.  But  for  the  unexpected  dash  made  on  them  by 
Hancock,  where,  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet,  their 
works  were  wrested  from  them,  they  would  have  re 
mained  for  a  long  time  in  a  strong  position  of  defence. 

Immediately  opposed  to  Hancock,  leading  the 
picked  body  of  the  enemy,  was  the  active  commander 
Longstreet,  who  had  been  a  lieutenant  with  him  in 
some  of  the  severest  fights  in  Mexico.  In  his  front, 
almost  face  to  face,  was  Early,  who  had  been,  also,  a 
fellow  officer  with  him  on  those  distant  fields.  What 
a  place  for  such  a  meeting  I 

The  brilliant  success  of  Hancock  was  gained  with 
a  loss  of  not  more  than  twenty  killed  and  wounded. 
His  engagement  decided  the  fortunes  of  the  day. 
The  falling  back  of  the  enemy  gave  the  Union  a 
thousand  wounded  and  three  hundred  uninjured 
Confed  prisoners.  Thus  far  seventy-one  large  guns 
were  captured,  many  tents,  and  a  great  amount  of 
ammunition. 


AT  W1LLIAMSBUEG.  147 

With,  savage  desperation  the  dismayed,  demoral 
ized,  and  hastily  retreating  foes  signalized  their  de 
feat  by  placing  torpedoes  within  their  abandoned 
works,  near  their  flagstafife,  magazines,  and  telegraph 
offices ;  and  secreting  them  in  carpet-bags,  barrels 
of  flour,  provisions,  boxes,  and  other  available  spots 
liable  to  be  reached  by  our  troops.  Most  fortunately, 
the  horrible  device  was  detected. 

It  is  not  pretended  that  the  battle  of  Williamsburg 
partook  of  the  nature  of  a  great  general  engage 
ment.  It  was  more  like  a  brilliant  and  successful 
skirmish  of  an  army  on  the  advance.  The  Secesh 
speak  of  it  in  their  reports  as  '  a  handsome  affair.' 
In  the  official  despatches  of  Generals  Hooker,  Smith, 
Couch,  Kearney,  Birney  and  Heintzleman  —  all  of 
whom,  with  Generals  Peck,  Jameson,  Devens,  Casey, 
Graham,  Berry,  Stoneman,  and  others,  won  fresh  lau 
rels  on  that  day  —  it  is  placed  in  its  true  light,  as  a 
preliminary  fight  of  much  importance,  whose  effect 
was  as  beneficial  on  the  spirits  of  our  own  men  as  it 
was  desponding  to  those  of  the  enemy. 

To  the  gallant  &nd  lamented  General  PHILIP 
KEAKNEY  is  especial  honor  due  for  his  great  aid  in 
the  restoration  of  the '  fortunes  of  the  day,  on  the 
hard-fought  field  of  Williamsburg. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

Hancock's  Correspondence  with  his  Family  —  The  Modest  Soldier  — 
The  Faithful  Son— The  Affectionate  Brother— The  Civilian  in 
the  Midst  of  Strife. 

THE  advance  of  the  Union  army  up  the  Virginia 
Peninsula,  continued  General  Hancock  at  the 
front.  He  participated,  with  his  accustomed  gal 
lantry,  in  the  battles  of  Garnett's  Hill,  Savage  Sta 
tion,  White  Oak  Swamp,  and  several  skirmishes  of 
an  important  character. 

While  thus  occupied  in  the  field  of  battle  for  his 
country,  the  General  seized  a  moment  to  write  a  hur 
ried  letter  home.  It  shows  the  heart  of  the  true 
man,  in  the  camp  of  the  gallant  soldier : 

"U.  S.  CAMP,  NEAR  RICHMOND,  23d  of  May,  1862. 
'*  MY  DEAR  MOTHER  : 

I  wrote  to  father  a  few  days  ago.  It  has  been  some  time  since  I 
heard  from  him  or  you.  I  presume  some  of  your  letters  have  missed 
me,  in  consequence  of  the  changes  of  the  field. 

(148) 


HIS  LETTERS  HOME.  149 

I  am  well ;  and  so,  also,  is  brother  John.  We  are  not  in  Rich* 
mond  yet,  but  trust  we  shall  be  there,  all  in  good  time. 

I  hope  that  God,  in  his  good  mercy,  will  permit  both  your  soni 
to  reach  that  city,  in  safety  and  in  honor. 

I  have  not  much  time  to  write.     Give  my  best  love  to  father. 
And  believe  me 

Your  devoted  son, 

WINFIELD  S.  HANCOCK.H 
"  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Hancock, 

Norristown,  Pa." 

This  confiding  tribute  to  his  mother  is  of  the  same 
class  with  all  his  letters  home.  While  at  one  of  his 
Western  posts,  early  in  the  service,  at  the  age  of 
twenty -three  years,  he  writes  to  his  twin  brother : 

"NEWPORT  BABBACKS,  KT.,  May  5,  1847 
"  MY  DEAR  HILARY  : 

I  was  exceedingly  glad  to  find,  on  my  arrival  here  from  Fort  Scott, 
two  long  and  interesting  letters  from  you.  The  only  thing  that 
grieves  me  is  that  I  cannot  get  to  Mexico.  I  made  an  application 
to-day  to  join  the  army  going  to  the  front.  Whether  the  Adjutant 
General  will  favor  it  or  not  I  do  not  know  ;  but  think  it  doubtful. 

I  am  actively  engaged  as  Superintendent  of  the  recruiting  service 
for  the  Western  Division,  and  acting  as  Assistant  Inspector  General ; 
but,  though  my  services  are  said  to  be  useful,  I  still  want  to  go  to 
Mexico. 

V 

Your  affectionate  brother, 

WlNFIBLD." 

How  different  might  have  been  his  career,  had  hia 
13* 


150  WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

going  to  Mexico  continued  to  be  'doubtful'  I  But  all 
his  doubts  on  that  subject  were  soon  after  removed. 
In  a  few  weeks  he  was  ordered  to  the  front.  From 
there  he  writes  to  his  father : 

"TACUBAYA,  MEXICO,  August  26,  1847. 
"  MY  DEAR  FATHER  : 

I  feel  thankful  that  I  am  able  to  write  to  you  from  this  place.  We 
have  had  to  fight  desperately  to  get  here.  It  has  been  the  theatre 
of  a  sanguinary  battle.  I  left  off  my  last  letter  to  engage  in  prepa 
rations  for  it." 

In  the  following  October  he  writes  from  Mexico : 

"  I  am  exceedingly  anxious  to  see  you  all.  I  send  you  some  of 
the  plans  of  our  engagements." 

Writing  to  his  brother  Hilary,  under  date  of  City 
of  Mexico,  December  6,  1847,  he  says : 

"  MY  DEAR  HILARY  : 

I  am  again  made  happy  by  the  arrival  of  three  letters  from  home. 

You  ask  me  whether  I  have  been  in  battle  ?  I  answer,  proudly, 
yes  1  Beside  being  in  several  skirmishes,  on  the  road  fr^m  Puebla 
to  Vera  Cruz, — in  all  of  which  I  can  truly  say  I  have  endeavored  to 
do  my  duty, — it  was  my  part  to  participate  in  the  battles  of  San 
Antonio,  Churubusco,  Molino  del  Rey,  and  the  conquest  of  the  City 
of  Mexico.  I  only  missed  the  fight  of  Chepultepec  by  being  sick 
in  my  tent,  and  off  duty,  at  the  time.  I  shall  alwnys  be  sorry  that 
I  was  absent.  I  was  lying  ill  with  chills  and  fever,  directly  under 


HIS  LETTERS  HOME.  151 

the  fort,  at  the  time  the  action  began.  I  cculd  not  remain  still 
under  the  firing ;  but,  wrapping  my  blanket  about  me,  I  crept  to  the 
top  of  tho  roof  of  the  nearest  house,  watched  the  fight,  and  had 
strength  enough  to  cheer  with  the  boys  when  the  Castle  fell.  The 
balls  whizzed  around  me,  but  I  kept  my  post,  doing  what  I  could ; 
and  when  I  learned  that  the  colors  I  saw  hoisted  on  the  conquered 
walls  were  those  of  my  own  regiment,  my  heart  beat  quick  at  the 
glorious  sight. 

The  winter  has  set  in  here,  and  some  chilly  days  are  the  conse 
quence.  The  summits  of  lofty  Popocatepetl  are  capped  with  more 
enow  than  is  usual  at  this  season.  No  snows,  however,  are  on  the 
plains.  Here  the  roads  are  open  and  many  of  them  beautiful.  The 
Almada,  or  great  Square  of  the  Capital,  is  far  superior  to  anything 
of  the  kind  in  the  United  States.  The  carriage  road  on  the  outskirts 
is  splendid,  and,  at  times,  crowded  with  gay  equipages.  It  is,  also, 
a  fashionable  resort  for  walks.  Its  age  is  three  centuries. 

Give  my  love  to  father,  mother,  brother  John,  and  all  my  other 
friends.  WINFIELD." 

He  again  writes  his  family  from  near  Toluca,  Jan 
uary  6th,  1848: 

"  We  have  another  snow  mountain  overlooking  us — the  Neviado. 
When  the  wind  blows  from  that  direction  it  is  bitterly  cold.  But. 
January  is  the  end  of  the  Mexican  winter.  The  days  begin  to  grow 
warmer  as  the  month  advances,  although  the  nights  continue  chilly. 
There  are  no  fire-places,  and  consequently  no  fires;  as  we  more 
Northern-born  find,  to  our  great  discomfort. 

The  Valley  of  Toluca  is  most  beautiful,  and  very  fertile.  Like 
all  the  other  Mexican  valleys  I  have  seen,  it  is  perfectly  level,  na 
if  it  had  once  been  the  bottom  of  a  large  lake.  Some  of  these  won 
derful  areas  look  like  the  craters  of  extinct  volcanoes.  In  the  Valley 


152  W INFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

of  Mexico  one  of  the  remaining  lakes  is  twenty  miles  long  and 
6fteen  broad. 

The  variety  of  fruits  produced  here  is  astonishing.  On  one  of  th* 
market  days,  recently,  over  fifty  different  kinds  were  on  sale.  Think 
of  opening  a  fine,  fresh,  ripe  watermelon,  in  the  month  of  January! 

Love  to  all.  WINFIELD." 

All  his  letters  to  his  friends  are  written  in  this  free 
and  affectionate  style.  They  contain,  beside  his  de 
scriptions  of  places  and  landscapes,  his  expressions 
of  personal  interest,  full  and  correct  accounts  of  his 
battles,  and  graphic  drawings  of  the  fields.  It  would 
be  pleasing  to  give  longer  extracts,  did  the  extent 
of  our  volume  admit  of  it.  These  will  suffice  to 
show  the  character  of  the  writer,  inasmuch  as  he 
wrote  without  the  remotest  expectation  that  his  let 
ters  would  ever  appear  in  print. 

In  what  a  pleasing  light  do  these  unstudied  epis 
tles  present  the  subject  of  this  memoir !  His  love 
of  home,  of  kindred,  of  country,  of  the  cause  in  which 
he  has  enlisted,  his  quiet  devotion  to  duty  in  the 
midst  of  battle  and  danger,  show  the  man  as  he  is, 
and  reflect  new  lustre  on  the  niche  of  fame  where  hia 
valor  has.  placed  him. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

The  Terrible  Struggles  of  Garnett1*  Hill,  Savage's  Station,  and  White 
Oak  Swamp  —  Hancock  as  Major-General  of  Volunteers  —  The 
Return  from  the  Peninsula. 

DURING  the  operations  of  the  Union  army  im 
mediately  before  Richmond,  in  the  spring  of 
1862,  General  HANCOCK  had  taken  his  usual  active 
part.  His  brigade  had  continued  in  the  division  of 
General  Smith,  now  a  part  of  a  new  provisional  army 
corps,  in  command  of  General  W.  B.  Franklin.  He 
was  posted  on  the  right  of  the  main  body,  aiding  in 
conducting  the  siege.  His  duties  were  peculiarly 
arduous  in  those  pestilential  swamps  of  the  Chicka- 
hominy.  He  shared  in  all  the  dangers  and  fatigues 
of  the  principal  attacks,  and  rendered  important  aid 
by  his  regular  army  experience  in  conducting  the 
safe  withdnwal  of  the  men  under  his  command. 
At  the  fierce  battle  of  Games'  Mills,  Hancock  was 

(153) 


154  WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

in  charge  of  an  independent  body  of  troops,  tempo 
rarily  attached  to  his  brigade.  His  position  was  in 
the  extreme  advance,  his  picket  line  extending  across 
an  intersecting  ravine.  At  this  point  he  met  and 
overcame  a  terrific  fire  of  the  enemy,  massed  in  five 
regiments;  keeping  them  at  bay,  and  thereby  pre 
venting  them  from  pushing  on  to  another  part  of  the 
field  they  were  anxious  to  reach. 

Late  in  the  afternoon  of  the  27th  of  June,  the 
enemy,  being  reinforced,  commenced  to  attack  the 
lines  of  Hancock  more  furiously  than  ever,  from  the 
south  side  of  the  stream.  It  was  evidently  their 
purpose  to  force  him  back,  and  thus  separate  him 
from  the  main  portion  of  the  army.  The  attack  was 
opened  with  a  heavy  artillery  fire  of  grape,  shell, 
round  shot  and  shrapnel.  It  was  the  most  furious 
onset  made  by  the  enemy  in  that  portion  of  the  field. 
The  cry  ran  along  the  lines  of  the  Confederates : 

"No  quarter  to  the  Yankees !  Into  the  river  with 
them !  Shoot  them  down  in  the  water  1" 

This  fiery  assault  was  led  by  General  Toombs,  of 
Georgia,  formerly  for  several  years  a  member  of  Con 
gress,  and  for  some  time  a  Senator  of  the  United 
States.  The  enemy  came  forward  with  a  yell  and  a 
dash,  calculating  to  drive  everything  before  them. 
There  were  five  regiments  of  infantry,  yelling  and 


RETURNING  FROM  THE  PENINSULA.      155 

surging  to  and  fro,  with  desperate  valor.  The 
fight  became,  in  places,  one  of  hand-to-hand ;  and 
there  was  no  spot  where  the  opposing  forces  were 
more  than  ten  paces  apart.  The  attack  was  as  short 
as  it  was  fierce ;  but  it  ended  in  the  complete  repulse 
of  the  enemy.  They  were  driven  back,  with  all  their 
yells  and  clatters,  leaving  nearly  three  hundred  killed 
and  wounded  on  the  field. 

This  brief  but  sanguinary  fight  is  known  as  that 
of  Garnett's  Hill. 

On  the  following  morning  the  enemy  renewed  the 
attack,  with  all  the  fury  of  armed  men  balked  of 
their  prey.  But  they  were  again  signally  repulsed, 
with  loss ;  leaving  a  Colonel,  Lieutenant  Colonel,  and 
other  officers  and  men  of  the  Seventh  and  Eighth 
Georgia  regiments,  prisoners  in  our  hands 

General  Hancock  continued  to  hold  the  enemy  in 
check  at  this  important  point  until  three  o'clock  of 
the  morning  of  the  28th  of  June,  when  he  rejoined 
the  remainder  of  the  division  of  General  Smith,  and 
participated  actively  in  the  obstinate  battles  of  Sav 
age's  Station,  on  the  29th,  and  of  White  Oak  Swamp, 
on  the  30th  of  the  same  month. 

For  his  services  at  Garnett's  Hill  he  was  again 
recommended  for  appointment  as  Major  General  of 
Volunteers,  by  the  commander  of  the  army.  He  was 


156  WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

recommended,  subsequently,  for  three  brevets  in  the 
Regular  Army,  for  meritorious  conduct  during  the 
Peninsular  campaign. 

On  his  return  from  the  Peninsula,  General  Han 
cock  prepared  at  once  to  take  part  in  the  defence  of 
Washington,  made  by  General  Pope  against  the  ad 
vance  of  the  Southern  foe,  under  Lee.  But  before  he 
could  reach  the  field  of  action,  the  Union  army  had 
withdrawn  to  a  better  position  for  the  immediate 
protection  of  the  city. 

The  particulars  of  the  career  of  Hancock  in  front 
of  Richmond,  in  the  campaign  of  '62,  are  thus  care 
fully  narrated  here,  in  order  that  it  may  be  seen  with 
what  pertinacity,  skill  and  courage  he  continued  to 
act  his  part. 

We  must  now  go  with  him  to  the  battle  of  An- 
tietam ;  where  the  unusual  honor  was  conferred  upon 
him  of  being  made  a  division  commander,  during 
the  engagement. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

Hancock  a  Colonel  in  the  Regular  Army  —  The,  Sanguinary  Onset 
at  Antietam—  The  Enemy  driven  lack  to  Virginia  — An  Episode 
of  Grim  Humor  —  A  Union  Colonel  in  his  First  Fight. 

ON  the  27th  of  June,  1862,  the  brevet  of  Colonel 
in  the  Kegular  Army  was  bestowed  on  Hancock, 
for  distinguished  conduct  in  the  Peninsular  campaign. 
His  next  service  was  in  command  of  his  brigade  at 
the  battle  of  Antietam,  in  Maryland,  which  was 
fought  on  the  17th  of  September,  of  the  same  year. 

This  battle  was  one  of  the  most  baffling  in  its  im 
mediate  character  of  any  of  the  war ;  and  yet  its 
results  have  been  eminently  beneficial  to  the  Union 
cause. 

The  transfer  of  the  seat  of  operations  from  the 
front  of  Washington  to  the  Maryland  line  had  much 
enlarged  the  sphere  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac. 
It  became  necessary  not  only  to  cover  the  National 
Capital  with  an  adequate  force,  but  Baltimore,  Phila- 
14  (157) 


158  WINFIELD,    THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

delphia,  and  important  interior  towns,  even  as  far 
west  as  Pittsburg,  Pennsylvania,  required  protection. 
The  enemy  were  on  the  alert  in  all  directions,  de 
manding  the  most  vigilant  efforts  of  our  patriotic 
troops  to  meet  and  overcome  them. 

The  first  prizes  to  be  fought  for  by  the  enemy  and 
to  be  defended  by  the  patriots  were  Washington, 
Baltimore,  the  Cumberland  Yalley,  Harper's  Ferry 
and  Philadelphia . 

On  the  16th  of  September  the  enemy  were  posted 
on  the  heights  in  the  rear  of  Antietam  creek.  This 
stream  rises  in  the  southern  part  of  Pennsylvania, 
and  pursuing  a  southerly  course  through  a  portion 
of  Maryland,  empties  into  the  Potomac.  The  coun 
try  contiguous  is  broken,  and  beyond  are  the  passes 
of  the  South  Mountain  range.  The  principal  roads 
in  the  vicinity  lead  to  and  from  Sharpsburg,  Hagers- 
town,  Harper's  Ferry  and  Baltimore.  The  body  of 
Southrons  occupied  strong  positions  among  the  hills, 
commanding  the  valleys  and  plains  below,  for  a  con 
siderable  distance.  Their  artillery  was  well  posted 
on  all  the  principal  heights. 

It  was  the  design  of  the  Union  commander  to 
attack  the  enemy  on  their  left.  The  Pennsylvania 
troops  were  among  the  first  to  advance.  The  posi- 
tion  of  affairs,  as  our  men  swept  into  the  areas  before 


AT  ANTIETAM.   '  159 

the  Secesh  guns,  was  intensely  trying ;  but  their  valor 
sustained  them  well  to  the  close  of  the  hard-fought 
engagement.  Our  loss  in  killed  and  wounded,  espe 
cially  in  officers,  was  large,  several  generals  being 
carried  from  the  scene  of  action. 

In  the  valley  of  Antietam,  where  some  of  the  hot 
test  engagements  of  the  battle  were  fought,  we  were 
crowded  into  a  narrow  space,  and  subject  to  a  galling 
fire  from  the  protected  batteries  of  the  enemy.  It 

I 

was  found  to  be  almost  impossible  to  enfilade  them, 
in  consequence  of  the  abruptness  of  the  hills.  These 
steep  slopes  were  lined  with  rifle-vpits  and  breast 
works,  from  which  the  rifles  and  guns  swept  large 
portions  of  the  whole  of  that  part  of  the  field. 

As  our  troops  continued  to  advance,  determined  to 
drive  the  enemy  from  their  Strongholds,  the  slaughter 
was  fearful.  But  they*  pressed  on  to  every  point 
where  there  was  any  possibility  of  meeting  the  foe 
on  equal  grounds.  They  were  now  also  strongly 
reinforced,  battery  being  added  to  battery,  as  if  they 
were  determined,  in  return,  to  make  a  wholesale 
butchery  of  the  brave  men  so  exposed  before 
their  fire. 

The  battle  over  the  entire  field  was  much  of  it  of 
this  description.  It  was  one  of  the  most  unequal 
fights  on  record.  Our  artillery  was  promptly  filed 


1 60  WINFIELD,  THE  LA  WTEKS  SON. 

into  action,  and  handled  with  great  courage  and 
but  it  lost  immensely  in  every  assault  by  the  vast 
superiority  of  position  held  by  the  opposing  gunners. 
Our  batteries  could  not  be  brought  into  good  point- 
blank  range  without  the  greatest  difficulty;  and, 
when  they  were,  the  Confed.  embankments  afforded 
them  such  protection  that  the  most  telling  shots  pro 
duced  but  little  effect. 

The  first  day  closed  on  a  conflict  in  which  nearly 
two  hundred  thousand  men  had  been  hotly  engaged 
for  fourteen  hours. 

Harper's  Ferry  was  disgracefully  surrendered  in 
the  midst  of  the  battle ;  thus  cutting  off  a  large  sup 
ply  of  troops  and  munitions,  at  the  same  time  fur 
nishing  a  strong  strategic  point  to  the  enemy,  and 
materially  interfering  with  the  successful  prosecution 
of  the  plans  of  the  Union  generals.  But,  with  all 
these  disadvantages  on  our  side,  the  enemy  were 
driven  out  of  their  entrenched  mountain  passes,  com 
pelled  to  fight  and  submit  to  defeat  in  the  more  open 
country,  and  to  withdraw,  subdued,  thwarted,  hum 
bled,  from  Maryland  to  Yirginia. 

The  part  taken  by  Hancock  in  the  battle  of  Antie- 
tam  was  characteristic  of  the  man.  He  was  prompt, 
vigilant,  courageous  in  every  portion  of  the  engage 
ments  in  which  he  participated.  His  own  native 


AT  ANTIETAM.  161 

hills  of  Pennsylvania  were  just  beyond  the  field. 
The  capital  of  the  nation  was  liable  to  be  assailed  by 
an  unscrupulous  enemy.  The  large  cities  of  Baltimore 
and  Philadelphia  were  to  be  defended.  The  honor 
of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  was  to  be  maintained. 
These  grave  contingencies  found  him  fully  prepared. 

On  the  night  of  the  17th  of  September,  in  the 
presence  of  a  large  and  embattled  force  of  the  enemy, 
he  slept  on  the  field,  with  the  brave  troops  who 
had  won  the  day. '  By  the  morning  of  the  19th 
General  Lee  had  withdrawn  beyond  the  reach  of  pur 
suit,  with  an  acknowledged  loss  of  about  fourteen 
thousand  men,  in  killed  and  wounded. 

During  the  height  of  the  battle  an  incident  occur 
red  in  his  immediate  command,  which  strikingly 
illustrates  the  character  of  Hancock.  It  took  place 
on  the  night  of  September  16th.  One  of  the  new 
regiments,  now  for  the  first  time  in  action,  was  in 
position  on  the  brow  of  a  commanding  hill.  The 
shots  of  the  enemy  raked  it  in  such  a  way  that  the 
men  were  lying  close  to  the  ground,  their  rifles  in 
hand,  well  loaded.  They  had  done  what  they  could 
on  their  line,  and  were  now  waiting  additional  orders. 
The  commander  of  tbe  regiment  and  all  his  officers 
were  prostrate  on  the  earth,  with  the  men,  among 
whom  the  balls  occasionally  ploughed  deep  fur- 
14*  L 


162  WINFIELD    THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

rows,  scattering  the  soil  and  stones  in  all  directions. 
The  moon  was  riding  high  in  the  heavens ;  but  the 
smoke  of  battle,  which  had  not  at  that  point  ceased 
with  the  coming  on  of  night,  dimmed  its  shining 
rays.  It  was  sufficiently  clear,  however,  to  distin 
guish  persons  and  places  with  considerable  readiness 

At  this  moment  Hancock  rode  up  to  the  prostrate 
regiment.  Looking  around  for  the  Colonel,  who 
could  not  be  distinguished  at  once  in  the  dim  light 
of  the  moon,  and  through  the  smoke  of  battle,  he 
enquired : 

"  Who  commands  this  regiment?" 

"  I  do,  sir  1"  replied  the  new  Colonel,  bobbing  up 
his  head  from  its  hole  in  the  ground,  and  then,  as  an 
unfriendly  shot  whizzed  by  his  ear,  bobbing  it  back 
again. 

Now,  the  Colonel  was  a  truly  brave  man,  with  all 
the  shrewdness  of  a  Yankee.  Having  been  bred  to 
the  law,  and  never  under  fire  before,  it  took  him  some 
time  to  'master  the  situation,'  and  to  be  able  to  'de 
fine  his  position.'  At  that  interesting  period  of  his 
military  novitiate,  as  one  of  his  'high  privates' 
quaintly  remarked,  'things  looked  kinder  skeery.' 

In  his  lowly  posture,  the  Colqnel  had  forgotten  to 
rise  and  tender  his  superior  the  customary  salute. 

General  Hancock,  still  mounted,  and  his  staff  around 


AT  ANTIETAM.  „      163 

him,  at  ouce  saw  the  state  of  'the  case,'  although  he 
did  not  then  understand  all  its  legal  attitudes  and 
bearings.  With  his  usual  courtesy,  he  again  en 
quired  : 

"How  many  men  have  you  on  duty,  Colonel?" 

"About  eight  hundred,  I  guess!"  the  Colonel  re 
plied,  bobbing  up  his  head,  turning  his  face  half-way 
toward  the  General,  and  quickly  bobbing  it  back 
again  to  his  covert. 

"Are  you  about  ready  for  an  advance,  Colonel?" 
quietly  continued  Hancock,  now  beginning  to  smile 
at  the  ludicrous  scene. 

"I  rather  guess  we  shall  be,"  came  a  smothered 
voice  from  the  hole,  "  when  we're  ordered  to." 

"  Perhaps  General  HANCOCK  may  order  you  to  i'' 
politely  interposed  one  of  Hancock's  aids,  as  he 
pointed  with  his  drawn  sword  to  the  commander  of 
the  division. 

"General  Hancock!"  exclaimed  the  Colonel,  spring 
ing  to  his  feet,  and  saluting  in  his  best  manner. 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,  General  1  I  feel  ashamed  to 
be  caught  in  this  position.  It  is  my  first  fight, 
sir.  General !  I  await  your  orders.  I  will  follow 
you  anywhere !" 

The  General  and  staff  now  indulged  in  a  good 
natured  laugh,  in  which  the  Colonel  heartily  joined 


164  WINFIELD,   THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

As  we  have  said,  he  was  really  a  brave  man,  and 
had  not  the  slightest  idea  of  shirking  his  duty.  But 
he  saw,  in  a  moment,  how  he  and  his  new  troops 
must  appear  in  that  position  to  Hancock.  While  the 
General  and  staff  were  sitting  calmly  on  their  horses^ 
on  the  brow  of  the  hill  over  which  poured  the  Con 
federates'  shots,  he  and  his  regiment  had  been  lying 
on  their  faces,  flat  on  the  ground. 

"  Eegiment !"  he  shouted,  with  a  lusty  voice,  from 
which  every  shake  and  tremor  had  now  fled :  "  Up, 
men !  Front  face !  Present  arms  !" 

The  whole  command  rose  at  the  word,  sprang  into 
position  in  line,  in  good  order,  and  gave  the  salute 
in  true  military  style.  The  General  returned  it  with 
his  accustomed  grace ;  and,  after  giving  the  Colonel 
some  additional  instructions,  passed  with  his  staff 
along  the  front  of  battle. 

It  is  due  to  that  Colonel  to  state  here  that  he  re 
peatedly  distinguished  himself  on  that  and  other 
occasions;  ard,  after  being  wounded  in  a  hand-to- 
hand  fight,  he  has  received  and  now  worthily  wears 
the  honors  of  his  native  State. 

The  scene  will  always  be  remembered  by  those 
who  took  part  in  it,  as  somewhat  relieving  with  quiet 
humor  the  hard  features  of  war. 

ID  the  light  of  an  impartial  history  it  is  clear  that 


AT  ANTIETAM.  165 

the  South  had  not  the  slightest  right  to  claim  a  tri 
umph  at  Antietam.  Our  loss  was  a  severe  one,  owing 
to  the  unassailable  positions  of  the  guns  of  the  enemy ; 
but  their  loss  was  much  greater,  and  their  with 
drawal,  under  the  circumstances,  was  a  confession  of 
defeat. 

"How  sleep  the  brave,  who  sink  to  restj 
With  all  their  country's  wishes  blest! 
When  Spring,  with  dewy  fingers  cold, 
Shall  oft  frequent  their  hallowed  mold, 
She  there  shall  press  a  fairer  sod 
Than  Fancy's  foot  hath  ever  trod. 
,,         By  hands  unseen  their  knell  is  rung 
By  lips  unseen  their  dirge  is  sung 
There  Honor  comes,  a  pilgrim  grey, 
To  dress  the  turf  that  wraps  their  clay; 
And  Freedom  shall  awhile  repair, 
To  dwell,  a  weeping  hermit,  then." 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

Hancock  at  Frederickslurg —  The  Passage  of  the  Rappahannock  — 
Terrible  Slaughter  of  the  Union  Troops — Hancock's  Line  Impreg 
nable  — His  Care  for  his  Wounded  Men. 

THE  Army  of  the  Potomac   returned  from   its 
Peninsular  campaign  in  the  fall  of  1862.     In 
November  of  that  year  it  arrived  at  Falmouth,  Vir 
ginia,  having  made  the  march  from  Warrenton,  a 
distance  of  forty  miles,  in  two  days  and  a  half. 

The  ultimate  object  of  the  South  was  still  the  con 
quest  of  Washington.  Encouraged  by  their  allies  in 
feeling,  at  home  and  abroad,  compelled  by  the  impe 
rious  demands  of  their  necessities,  they  remained  as 
long  as  possible  in  the  vicinity  of  the  national  capi 
tal.  A  strong  column  of  the  enemy,  under  the  justly 
distinguished  brave  General  THO  MAS  J,  JACKSON,  had 
swept  down  suddenly  on  our  rear,  and  placed  the 
whole  Union  force,  large  as  it  was,  at  a  temporary 
disadvantage.  For  many  days  the  tide  of  battle  had 

(166) 


BEFORE  FREDERICKSBURG.  167 

beat  furiously  against  the  patriot  army.  Unac 
quainted  with  the  country,  surrounded  by  swarms  of 
active  spies,  exposed  to  those  deadly  malarias  of  the 
lowlands  and  swamps  to  which  the  great  majority  of 
them  were  wholly  unaccustomed,  the  heroic  valor  of 
our  troops  was  suddenly  called  to  encounter  the  most 
fearful  odds  of  any  that  had  yet  been  forced  upon 
them. 

The  fights  in  which  Hancock  had  participated  at 
Savage  Station,  Fair  Oaks,  and  at  other  assailable 
points,  were  bitter  and  sanguinary.  But  in  every 
encounter  he  came  off  victorious.  He  had  hardly 
received  the  message  to  prepare  for  action  at  the  lat 
ter  place,  ere  the  enemy  was  charging  all  around 
hira.  His  vigilance  was  equal  to  the  emergency. 
The  foe's  artillery  was  most  furious  in  its  attack  on 
his  extended  lines.  A  strong  brigade  of  picked  men, 
with  a  characteristic  yell,  burst  on  his  pickets  and 
dashed  headlong  at  his  principal  battery.  The  bul 
lets  showered  on  his  devoted  camp,  from  all  direc 
tions.  The  smoke  from  the  contending  guns  filled 
all  the  air  of  the  open  spaces,  and  the  sulphurous  mist 
of  musketry  hung  like  a  cloud  along  the  edges  of  the 
dim  forests.  The  Union  men  answered  the  wild 
yells  of  the  enemy  with  lusty  cheers,  and  drove  them 


168  WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

back  at  every  onset.  Two  Georgia  regiments  wera 
nearly  cut  to  pieces  by  Hancock's  guns.  lie  cap- 
tured  a  considerable  number  of  prisoners;  among 
whom  was  one  of  the  most  prominent  of  the  Southern 
secessionists,  Colonel  Lamar,  of  Georgia.  He  had 
once  been  a  member  of  the  national  Congress.  A 
Lieutenant  Colonel  shared  his  captivity. 

The  perilous  fighting  of  those  memorable  days 
must  ever  fill  a  bloody  page  in  the  volumes  of  Ameri 
can  history.  Men  never  fought  more  bravely,  never 
suffered  more  terrible  privations  from  hunger,  expo 
sure,  thirst  and  fatigue,  than  did  those  columns  of 
Union  troops  in  all  those  closing  scenes  of  that  Pe 
ninsular  campaign.  The  unflinching  valor  of  oui 
men  was  admitted  on  all  hands  by  the  enemy. 

One  report  of  these  battles  states  that  the  following* 
conversation  took  place  between  our  own  and  some 
Confederate  officers.  The  Union  officers  asked : 

"Did  your  men  respect  Yankee  fighters?" 

"Yesl"  was  the  prompt  reply.  "They  quite  sur 
prise  us." 

"You  admit,  then,  there  has  been  no  faltering 
among  us  on  the  Chickahominy  ?" 

"Certainly  we  do!  There  never  could  have 
been  better  fighting  than  yours  in  any  part  of  the 
world." 


BEFORE  FREDERICKSBURG.  169 

Among  all  these  acknowledged  deeds  of  valor,  the 
name  of  Hancock  must  ever  stand  conspicuous. 

The  object  of  the  enemy  in  following  rapidly  on 
after  the  Union  army  was,  if  possible,  to  intercept  :t, 
cut  off  its  supplies,  and  then  dash  into  Washington. 
They  were  perfectly  familiar  with  all  the  Southern 
approaches  to  the  capital.  Their  leaders  in  political 
affairs  had  been  wont  to  rule  it  by  approaches  from 
the  Southern  side ;  why  should  they  not  possess  it 
now,  with  arms,  from  the  same  direction?  On  all 
of  their  advances  friends  and  allies  surrounded  them. 
There  were  plenty  of  false  men  in  our  own  camps. 
In  Washington  they  occupied  some  of  the  most  lucra 
tive  posts  of  the  Government;  they  swarmed  through 
all  the  avenues  -r  they  chatted  and  whispered,  they 
wrote  and  plotted  in  some  of  the  most  fashionable 
circles  of  society,  and  even  in  the  obscure  and  de 
tested  purlieus  of  vice.  Gqvernment  plunderers  were 
their  secret  counsellors ;  notorious  characters  were 
their  ready  spies.  Men  without  a  grain  of  pride  or 
patriotism,  all  through  the  land,  stood  ready  to  aid 
them  in  the  complete  subjugation  of  the  capital  of 
the  nation  at  the  feet  of  the  South.  New  England 
was  to  be  sloughed  off,  as  a  pestilential  plague-spot 
on  the  body  politic.  New  York  was  to  become  a 

free  city,  and  form  a  treaty  of  amity  and  alliance 
15 


170  WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

with  the  confederated  schemers.  The  West  was  to 
assume  Mr.  Calhoun's  attitude  of  'masterly  inac 
tivity  '  toward  the  rebellion ;  and,  -satisfied  with  its 
great  interior  empire  and  the  free  navigation  of  the 
Mississippi,  was  to  be  active  only  in  fighting  and 
keeping  out  of  the  new  Confederation  the  loathed 
and  hated  East. 

It  was  a  boldly-formed  scheme,  with  which  to 
adorn  the  *  grim-visaged  front '  of  a  daring  seces 
sion,  in  which  the  capital  of  WASHINGTON  was  to 
figure  as  the  victor's  prize.  It  was  to  be  a  triple 
crown  of  despotic  power,  emblazoned  with  the  South, 
the  Centre,  and  the  West,  which  the  bold  hand  of 
the  Confederacy  was  to  place  upon  the  brow  of  some 
chosen  chieftain. 

The  march  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  to  Fal- 
mouth,  Virginia,  in  the  middle  of  November,  1862, 
was  one  of  the  first  of  those  strategic  movements 
that  resulted,  ultimately,  in  the  protection  of  Wash 
ington.  In  all  that  march,  however,  and  while  going 
into  cair'p,  our  troops  were  seriously  annoyed  by  the 
enemy.  By  making  detours  through  by-roads,  val 
leys  and  woods,  we  avoided  those  contests  in  which 
we  must  invariably  have  fought  at  a  disadvantage. 

The  great  object  of  the  enemy  —  acting,  no  doubt, 
tinder  the  immediate  orders  of  Lee  —  was  to  possess 


BEFORE  FREDERICKSB  URG.  171 

themselves  of  our  guns.  These,  they  well  knew, 
would  be  eminently  useful  to  us  in  the  defence  of 
Washington,  and  they  were  determined,  if  possible, 
to  wrest  them  from  us.  Their  most  practiced  sharp 
shooters  were  numerously  detailed  to  pick  off  OUT 
gunners  and  horses,  so  that,  in  the  miry  roads  of  the 
fall  season,  the  weapons  might  become  an  easy  prey. 

General  BUENSIDE,  at  that  time  in  command  of  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac,  completely  deceived  the  enemy. 
They  had  no  idea  he  would  take  the  route  he  did. 
It  was  their  expectation  and  hope  that  he  would 
march  for  the  defence  of  the  capital  by  the  way  of 
Gordonsville,  where  they  were  prepared  to  assail  him, 
in  front  and  rear,  from  behind  their  strong  entrench 
ments. 

Our  forces  advanced  in  three  columns  —  Hancock 
being  on  the  extreme  right  of  the  line.  His  disci 
pline  of  his  troops  was  perfect,  and  his  march  made 
in  good  order.  Few  stragglers  were  anywhere  to  be 
seen ;  and  he  passed  on  rapidly  in  advance  of  the 
main  body.  The  region  through  which  he  advanced 
was  fearfully  desolate.  The  fiery  foot-prints  of  war 
had  been  there  twice  before. 

Falmouth  is  one  of  the  oldest  towns  in  Yirginia. 
it  was  settled  as  early  as  the  year  1717.  The  houses 
have  an  antiquated  appearance,  and  bat  little  active 


172  WINF1ELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

business  is  transacted  within  its  precincts.  There  ia 
no  public  building  in  the  town  of  any  note.  The 
old-fashioned  brick  dwellings,  with  their  quaint  dor 
mer  windows,  carry  you  back  to  the  days  when  Vir- 
ginia  was  a  colony  of  England,  and  when  this  ancient 
town  stood  on  the  outskirts  of  civilization  in  the  land 
of  Pocahontas. 

The  troops  of  General  Hancock  swept  rapidly 
through  this  region,  fording  rivers  and  ascending 
high  hills  in  their  march.  The  soldiers  were  in  good 
spirits,  singing  gaily  their  army  songs,  and  reposing 
unbounded  confidence  in  their  leader.  The  head 
waters  of  the  Eappahannock  soon  came  into  view,  then 
the  contiguous  heights  of  the  Blue  Ridge  of  moun 
tains,  that  put  out  their  spurs  from  this  region  to  the 
shores  of  the  Chesapeake  Bay.  The  historic  travel 
ler  looks  in  vain  for  the  signs  of  the  English  Fal- 
mouth  of  Henry  the  Eighth,  for  the  Castles  of  Pen- 
dennis  and  Saint  Mawes,  and  the  opening  view  of 
the  British  Channel. 

The  principal  importance  of  Falmouth  lies  in  the 
fact  of  its  close  proximity  with  the  larger  town  of 
Fredericksburg,  another  of  the  old  but  more  enter 
prising  Virginia  settlements.  It  is  the  county-seat 
of  Spottsylvania.  Its  location  is  on  the  right  bank 
of  the  Eappahannock  river,  and  has  some  advantages 


IN  THE  FREDERICKSBURG  BATTLE.        173 

for  manufactures  and  commerce.  The  tide  water 
here  terminates,  at  a  distance  of  sixty -five  miles  north 
of  Richmond.  The  railway  from  Washington  to 
Richmond  passes  through  Fredericksburg,  rendering 
it  an  important  point  for  the  possession  of  an  army 
in  time  of  war. 

General  Lee  had  telegraphed  to  the  inhabitants  of 
Fredericksburg  the  fact  of  the  near  approach  of  the 
Union  troops.  We  approached  the  town  in  four  col 
umns — infantry,  cavalry,  and  artillery.  Its  surrender 
was  demanded  on  the  21st  of  November,  1862,  by 
General  Sumner,  then  commanding  the  right  division. 
A  correspondence  ensued  between  him  and  the  civil 
authorities,  at  the  termination  of  which  preparations 
were  commenced  for  shelling  the  town.  The  delay 
of  the  enemy  in  surrendering,  for  which  every  oppor 
tunity  that  courtesy  could  demand  was  afforded  them, 
prompted  an  attack  from  the  Union  batteries.  Mean 
while,  General  Lee  had  reached  the  spot,  making  it 
as  defensible  as  possible,  on  his  march  toward  Wash 
ington. 

On  the  ensuing  13th  of  December  the  battle  opened. 
It  was  fiercely  contested  on  both  sides,  the  Confeder 
ates  having  every  advantage  in  position  and  massing 
of  force. 

The  shelling  of  the  two  previous  days,  and  the 
15* 


174  WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

landing  across  the  river  of  bodies  of  picked  men,  had 
done  the  enemy  considerable  damage.  The  passage 
of  the  stream  was  repeatedly  made,  and  under  cir 
cumstances  well  calculated  to  test  the  valor  of  our 
patriot  troops.  In  consequence  of  the  impossibility 
of  lowering  the  range  of  our  batteries  on  the  bank 
so  as  to  reach  the  town  in  front  to  advantage,  th$ 
houses  and  walls  in  that  vicinity  afforded  protection 
to  the  sharp-shooters  of  the  enemy,  who  were  busily 
engaged  picking  off  our  gunners.  Notwithstanding 
this,  the  cannonading  continued  from  a  line  of  fire 
supplied  by  one  hundred  and  seventy-nine  guns, 
ranging  from  ten-pounder  Parrotts  to  four-and-a-half- 
inch  siege*  guns,  posted  along  the  convex  side  of  the 
arc  of  the  circle,  formed  by  the  bend  of  the  river  and 
land  opposite  the  doomed  town. 

The  part  of  Hancock,  in  command  of  a  division, 
was  everything  that  became  him.  His  troops  were 
among  those  who  performed  the  daring  feat  of  cross 
ing  the  river  in  open  boats,  scaling  the  opposite 
banks,  in  the  face  of  a  deadly  fire,  and  driving  off 
the  enemy  from  their  lurking  places.  They  scattered 
up  the  streets  nt  our  approach,  throwing  away  atfms 
and  r/'covitrein'oLits  in  their  rapid  flight.  The  shouts 
of  our  men  swept  across  the  water  as  they  witnessed 
this  gallant  action,  while  returning  clu-  is  came  back 


IN  THE  FREDERICKSBURG  BATTLE.         ^77 

from  the  brave  fellows  who  -at  such,  imminent  penl 
had  Avon  the  day. 

Next  followed  the  work  of  throwing  pontoon 
bridges  across  the  river.  Our  men  plunged  waist- 
deep  into  the  stream,  and  worked  as  men  do  who  are 
under  the  sacred  inspiration  of  patriotic  duty.  In 
less  than  half  an  hour  the  first  bridge  was  completed, 
and  a  body  of  troops  thrown  across.  The  attempt 
to  shell  them  from  the  heavy  batteries  was  a  signal 
failure. 

The  principal  force  of  the  enemy  in  Fredericks- 
burg  consisted  of  Mississippians,  South  Carolinians, 
and  Floridians. 

A  few  months  previous  to  this  engagement,  Genera- 
Hancock,  being  still  in  the  advance,  had  reached 
Bolivar  Heights,  on  the  line  of  the  Potomac,  early 
in  the  morning,  and  driven  the  enemy  before  him. 
He  passed  on  to  Charlestown,  Virginia,  which  he 
occupied.  When  at  a  distance  of  a  mile  and  a  half 
from  the  town  the  enemy  had  opened  their  batteries 
on  him ;  but  he  used  his  guns  to  such  advantage  that 
they  were  glad  to  retire. 

Following  up  this  success,  he  entered  Snicker's 
Gap,  Virginia,  still  driving  the  enemy.  A  column 
of  their  infantry  advanced  to  retake  it,  but  the  fire 
of  the  guns  of  Hancock  rapidly  dispersed  them. 


17-A  W1NFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

These  reconnoissances  discovered  the  whereabouts 
of  the  enemy,  and  prepared  the  way  for  the  part 
which  Hancock  subsequently  took  in  the  battle  of 
Fredericksburg.  Ever  on  the  alert,  ever  prompt  at 
tho  call  for  action,  he  was  in  every  part  of  the  field' 
occupied  by  his  division,  cheering  and  animating  the 
men  by  his  gallant  bearing. 

The  passage  across  the  Eappahannock  was  made 
by  General  BURNSIDE,  then  in  chief  command,  under 
the  greatest  local  disadvantages.  Deceived  by  a  feint 
of  the  enemy,  who  had  purposely  withdrawn  a  part 
of  his  force  in  front,  apparently  leaving  his  defences 
unprotected,  Burnside  threw  his  men  over  the  river, 
only  to  be  drawn  before  the  batteries  on  the  hills 
beyond  Fredericksburg,  from  which  the  most  deadly 
and  continuous  fire  was  poured  into  our  unprotected 
ranks.  It  was  placing  them  in  the  bottom  of  a  great 
basin  of  land,  to  be  fired  upon  by  the  shielded  guns 
on  the  commanding  ridges  above.  The  crossing  was 
hardly  accomplished  ere  the  hidden  reserves  of  the 
enemy  were  brought  rapidly  to  the  front,  and  massed 
on  our  extended  lines  with  terrific  slaughter.  The 
Union  troops  were  swept  down  before  the  long  files 
of  protected  batteries,  like  grass  before  the  scythe  of 
the  mower. 

The  crests  in  the  rear  were  reached  by  an  ascending 


IN  THE  FREDERICKSBURG  BATTLE.        177 

advance  that  had  to  be  fought,  every  inch  of  the  way, 
in  the  face  of  a  galling  fire.  The  country  and  en 
trenchments  beyond  were  nearly  hidden  by  a  dense 
fog,  rendered  more  impenetrable  by  the  clouds  of 
smoke,  belching  from  well- worked  guns,  that  hung 
like  a  pall  on  the  fortified  hills.  Every  step  was 
made  by  the  men  in  uncertainty  as  to  the  numbers 
and  positions  of  the  enemy.  It  was  only  known 
Lee  was  before  them,  and  that  he  was  prepared  at  all 
points  for  assault  or  attack.  Our  own  lines  were 
more  or  less  detached,  being  sent  forward  in  separate 
bodies,  whose  means  of  communication  were  imper 
fect  at  the  base,  and  liable  to  be  fatally  interrupted. 
If  the  enemy  could  have  been  outflanked  and  reached 
by  means  of  an  attack  in  the  rear,  the  position  would 
have  been  widely  different,  and  the  result,  no  doubt, 
equally  so.  The  attack  on  our  part  was  all  that 
could  be  expected  of  brave  men.  It  was  steady, 
vigorous,  dashing;  but  the  exposure  was  too  great 
for  success.  By  the  con  dngencies  of  the  fog  and  our 
delay  in  throwing  over  the  bridges,  the  enemy  had 
ample  time  to  mass  his  forces,  to  complete  his  de 
fences,  to  bring  up  his  reserves,  and  to  place  his  bat 
teries  in  such  positions  that  they  could  sweep  every 
thing  before  them. 

During  the  two  days  in  which  the  Union  army 
M 


178  WJNFIELD,  THE  LA  WYERS  SON. 

stood  in  order  of  battle  before  Fredericksburg,  ad 
vancing  to  the  very  front,  and  into  the  flash,  and  heat, 
and  iron  deluge  of  the  ever-ceaseless  fire,  the  courage 
of  the  men  was  admirable.     Their  stand  was  one  of 
the  boldest  ever  taken  by  any  army ;  and  bravely 
they  maintained  it  to  the  last.     The  courage  with 
which  that  contest  was  so  long  maintained  against  a 
numerous  army  .strongly  entrenched,  the  skill  and 
strategy  with  which  our  troops  were  crossed  and  re- 
crossed,  in  the  face  of  the  sweeping  fire  of  the  enemy, 
wi1!  cvvr  reflect  credit  on  the  Army  of  the  Potomac. 
The  course  of  General  Hancock  on  that  occasion 
exhibits  his  prudence  as  well  as  valor  in  a  most 
striking  light.     He  is  generally  associated,  as  he  well 
deserves  to  be,  with  dashing  deeds  of  brilliant  valor 
but  his  course  at  Fredericksburg,  as  at  other  points, 
proves  his  caution  to  be  equal  to  his  courage.     No 
officer  is  more  careful  than  he  of  the  lives  of  his  men. 
He  regards,  as  he  should,  these  enlisted  fellow-citi 
zens  as  committed  to  his  care,  and  that  he  is  respon 
sible  that  their  lives  shall  not  be  thrown  away.  When, 
therefore,  the  whole  army  crossed  the  Eappahannock 
and  drew  up  in  ordnr  of  battle  before  the  entrenched 
legions  of  Lee,  the  first  movement  of  Hancock  was 
Jo  halt  as  many  of  his  troops  as  he  could  command 
in  a  sheltered  valley.     Here  he  gave  them  an  oppor- 


IN  THE  FREDERICKSBURG  BATTLE.        179 

tunity,  as  a  strict  tactician,  to  pause,  survey  the  field, 
and  prepare  for  the  deadly  onset.  The  arms  were 
stacked,  and  the  men  bivouacked  for  several  liours. 
They  needed  the  rest.  They  fought  all  the  better 
for  being  granted  it  by  the  General. 

The  instant  the  time  for  decided  action  arrived,  the 
division  of  Hancock  was  advancing.  He  moved  for 
ward  close  to  the  river,  and  remained  in  that  position 
all  night.  In  less  than  two  hours  from  the  time  hia 
troops  were  in  motion  the  head  of  the  column  had 
crossed  the  river.  When  it  reached  the  post  assigned 
it,  directly  in  front  of  the  enemy,  the  men  were  ankle- 
deep  in  mud.  It  was  toward  the  beginning  of  win 
ter,  and  the  chilly  winds  were  sweeping  through  the 
valley  of  the  Eappahannock.  But  so  perfect  was  the 
discipline  of  Hancock,  that,  while  camp-fires  were 
forbidden,  the  wet  and  cold  ranks  maintained  their 
positions  in  the  line.  Together  officers  and  men, 
with  Hancock  at  their  head,  laid  clown  on  the  wet 
and  frosty  ground,  with  no  pillow  but  the  muddy 
earth  and  no  covering  but  the  cloudy  sky  of  a  De 
cember  night.  With  a  fortitude  and- equanimity  of 
which  history  furnisLos  but  few  parallels,  these  heroic 
men  bore  the  privations  of  that  dismal  scene,  planting 
their  colors  in  the  darkness,  and  resolving  to  stand 
by  them  to  the  last  through  every  trying  hour. 


180  WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SOF. 

The  battle  began  with  the  rising  of  the  sun  of  the 
following  morning.  As  soon  as  the  division  advanced, 
Hancock  ordered  skirmishers  to  be  thrown  out  on 
the  left  flank,  the  column  still  advancing  under  a  con 
tinuous  fire  of  shot  and  shell.  Eegiment  after  regi 
ment  coming  up  and  deploying  in  line  of  battle  drew 
down  a  sweeping  fire  from  the  hidden  foe.  But  our 
force  remained  at  the  front,  and  continued  so,  during 
the  action.  Every  attempt  that  was  made  by  the 
enemy  to  break  through  Hancock's  line  was  imme 
diately  repulsed.  The  men  halted  on  the  march 
through  the  upper  parts  of  the  city  only  to  form 
more  perfect  lines  of  battle,  and  do  the  more  execu 
tion  in  the  attack.  His  voice  was  heard  above  the 
roar  of  conflict,  calling  on  the  men  who  survived : 
"Close  up,  men !  Steady  !  Close  up  !  Forward !" 
In  the  midst  of  the  fearful  scenes  of  carnage  that 
followed,  the  care  of  Hancock  for  the  hospitals,  and 
those  wounded  who  could  not  reach  them,  showed 
the  character  of  the  man.  The  buildings  selected 
for  hospital  service  were  watched  over  with  tender 
care,  and  as  safely  guarded  as  the  exciting  circum 
stances  of  the  moment  would  permit.  While  wounded 
himself,  and  remaining  in  the  heat  of  the  battle,  he 
was  constantly  allowing  sufferers  to  retire  from  the 
field  and  recross  the  river.  But  every  permission  of 


IN  THE  FREDERICKSBURG  BATTLE.        181 

this  kind  was  coupled  with  the  firm  command  that 
every  man  whose  wounds  would  admit  of  it,  must 
return  to  the  fight.  Hundreds  of  his  division,  by  his 
good  management,  were  recruited  and  re-engaged  in 
the  action  in  this  way.  His  troops  fought  well  to 
the  close,  and  were  brought  off  in  good  or  ler. 
Such  was  Hancock  at  Fredericksburg. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

Tht,  jD.'ooay  J$t*tilc  of  Chancellorsville —  Hancock's  Bold  Charge 
puts  the  Mutiny's  Solid  Column  to  Flight  —  General  Hancock 
Assigned  to  the  Command  of  the  Second  Corps  U.  8.  A. 

IF  the  battle  of  Chancellorsville,  Virginia,  Is  to  be 
judged  by  its  immediate  results,  it  was  disas 
trous  to  the  Union  arms.  If  it  is  to  be  judged  by 
its  ultimate  effects  on  the  American  army  and  peo 
ple,  it  was  a  success  to  the  Union  cause.  It  was  a 
fearfulty  bloody  battle ;  in  some  respects  one  of  the 
most  so  ever  fought  by  any  people,  in  any  age. 

The  enemy  had  temporarily  succeeded  in  the  Na 
poleonic  movement  of  massing  large  bodies  of  his 
troops  in  the  centre  of  our  most  exposed  position. 
He  did  not  conquer  us;  he  could  not  justly  claim  a 
victory ;  but  he  had,  for  a  time,  weakened  a  part  of 
our  power  for  offensive  warfare. 

This  battle  was  fought  in  the  first  week  of  May 
1863.     The  country  in  which  it  occurred  is  nearly 

(182) 


AT  CHANCELLORSV1LLE.  183 

all  wild  and  unfrequented.  Parts  of  it  are  still  a 
dense,  unbroken  wilderness.  The  arm^r  of  the  Union 
was  commanded  by  General  Hooker;  that  of  Dis 
union  by  General  Lee.  The  advance  made  by  our 
forces  was  among  the  tangled  forests  and  dark  jun 
gles  of  the  dismal  wastes  of  Stafford.  In  some  places 
they  were  completely  surrounded  by  hidden  foes,  who 
peered  upon  them  unseen  from  behind  dark  thickets, 
and  fired  at  their  uncovered  columns  from  their  des 
olate  refuges  among  the  munitions  of  rocks. 

Never  was  a  country  more  capable  in  itself  of  be 
ing  defended ;  never  was  one  more  difficult  to  over 
come.  It  was  like  a  woody  Sebastopol  in  the  wilda 
of  Virginia ;  an  inland  Gibraltar  of  the  West. 

The  Union  troops  moved  into  these  environed  fast 
nesses,  that  bristled  with  hostile  bayonets  in  every 
thick-set  wood,  and  frowned  with  heavy  artillery  in 
every  rocky  pass.  Their  march  was  taken  up  at  an 
early  hour  in  the  morning,  and  by  seven  o'clock  the 
army  was  well  massed  in  the  outskirts  of  that  gloomy 
battle-field. 

On  the  2d  of  May  General  Hancock,  then  in  com 
mand  of  a  division,  posted  his  men  in  the  most 
guarded  manner.  Surprises  and  ambuscades  were  t® 
be  looked  for,  on  every  hand.  The  skirmishers  were 
thrown  out  by  him  in  all  directions,  and  abattis  and 


184  WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

rifle-pits  placed  in  front.  The  whole  of  his  line  waa 
on  the  edge  of  a  deep,  dark  wood,  where  it  remained 
in  battle  array  during  the  whole  of  that  night. 

Early  in  the  morning  of  the  following  day  the  di 
vision  moved  forward.  The  attack  on  the  enemy 
immediately  began.  Notwithstanding  their  protec 
tion  in  the  woods,  they  were  driven  out  of  them,  then 
from  their  rifle-pits,  then  along  the  rude  plank  road 
that  lay  beyond.  A  large  column,  massed  in  the 
distance,  seeing  the  retreat,  rushed  backward  with 
speed,  and,  for  a  time,  fairly  fled  out  of  sight  in  the 
jungles.  Eifle-pits  were  constructed  rapidly  along 
the  enemy's  lines,  and  skirmishing  was  kept  up  by 
Hancock,  at  a  distance  of  only  a  few  hundred  yards 
in  front  of  our  works  on  the  extreme  right. 

At  ten  o'clock  that  morning,  the  skirmish  line  ex 
tended  some  distance  down  the  Fredericksburg  road, 
directly  fronting  and  close  to  the  hidden  position  of 
the  rebels.  They  had  opened  a  brisk  fire  on  our  lines, 
at  this  point,  on  a  previous  occasion,  keeping  up  their 
infantry  volleys  for  four  successive  hours ;  but  our 
resistance  had  been  so  general  and  so  firm,  it  gradu 
ally  slackened  off,  and  then  died  away.  Every 
attempt  to  break  our  lines  had  proved  futile.  Volley 
tad  been  met  by  volley ;  battery  by  battery ;  our 
men  growing  more  energetic  and  determined  at  each 


AT  CHANCELLORSVILLE.  186 

assault,  until  the  rebels  were  satisfied  they  could  not 
move  us  from  our  position,  and  sullenly  withdrew. 
They  did  not  yell  once. 

These  men  were  in  the  immediate  command  of 
Hancock.  He  led  them  in  person,  placed  them  in 
the  field  under  his  own  eye,  and  remained  to  take 
part  in  every  engagement.  His  breastworks  were 
well  constructed  as  an  offset  to  sudden  assaults  from 
the  coverts  of  the  woods,  while  his  skirmishers,  in 
rifle-pits,  were  well  posted  to  prevent  surprises.  The 
men  behaved  well.  Every  attempt  to  enfilade  them 
was  promply  met  and  repulsed,  and  every  savage  as 
sault  to  capture  our  colors  was  hurled  back  in  defeat. 
Much  credit  is  due  to  the  management  of  the  Union 
batteries,  on  all  these  occasions. 

A  part  of  the  way  to  the  battle-field  had  to  be  pur 
sued  in  open  boats,  where  the  navigation  was  tedious, 
and  the  line  of  march  everywhere  exposed  to  the 
wily  foe.  Arrived  on  the  ground,  our  men  took  their 
positions  with  a  coolness  and  courage  worthy  of  the 
highest  praise.  They  knew  not  the  number  of  their 
secreted  enemy ;  they  could  only  tell  by  the  rattling 
rifles  and  roaring  cannon  that  they  were  near,  and  in 
strong  force.  Dashing  on  toward  them  in  and 
through  the  forests,  our  men  repeatedly  captured 
their  earthworks,  and  conclusively  proved  to  thorn 

16* 


186  WINFIELD,  THK  LAWYER'S  SON. 

and  the  world  what  we  could  do,  with  anything  like 
equal  numbers  and  a  fair  field. 

Hooker,  Meade,  Keynolds,  Couch,  Howard,  Birney, 
Slocum  and  Sickles  were  active  in  this  engagement, 
and  were  remarkable  for  the  promptness  with  which 
their  plans  were  carried  out,  even  against  the  fearful 
odds  that  opposed  them.  In  the  position  he  occupied, 
Hancock's  part  was  not  neglected.  His  troops  were 
among  the  most  valiant  and  successful  of  any  in  that 
bloody  battle. 

In  the  height  of  the  closing  scenes  of  this  terrible 
drama  of  carnage,  the  division  was  ordered  to  strike 
directly  across  the  front  of  an  advancing  column  of 
hostiles.  This  column  came  sweeping  furiously  on, 
with  its  famous  battle  yell,  almost  demoniac  in  its 
character,  in  the  shape  of  one  of  Napoleon's  wedge? 
of  war.  The  design  was  to  thrust  it,  with  the  utmost 
violence,  in  the  centre  of  the  Union  lines  favorably 
situated  for  the  purpose.  At  this  moment  Hancock 
dashed  directly  across  the  field,  in  the  face  of  the  ad 
vancing  enemy,  striking  their  iron  wedge  with  great 
force  at  the  designated  point,  staggering  its  momen 
tum,  laying  many  of  them  dead  in  their  impetuous 
march,  and  breaking  the  effect  of  the  intended  blow. 
In  half  an  hour  from  the  time  Hancock  struck  the 
yelling  column,  it  was  in  flight  from  the  field. 


AT  CHANCELLORSV1LLE.  187 

The  final  result  of  Chancellorsville  was  a  bitter 
disappointment  to  the  enemy.  They  were  not  only 
foiled,  disconcerted,  cheated  of  their  longed-for  prey, 
but  they  found  they  had  met  a  foe,  even  in  the 
underbrush  and  rocky  ravines,  the  briery  wilds  and 
lurking  darkness  of  those  dim  woods,  fully  equal 
to  their  steel ,  Lee  discovered,  to  his  cost,  that  he 
might  slaughter  us  from  behind  his  ambuscades ;  he 
might  entangle  us  in  the  forests  and  through  the 
winding  by-paths  with  which  he  was  familiar ;  but 
&e  could  not  and  did  not  conquer  us  in  a  hand-to- 
hand  fight.  The  passage  of  our  army  across  the 
river  in  the  face  of  imminent  danger,  is  admitted  by 
the  Southern  authorities  to  have  been  well  done ; 
and  the  recrossing,  with  a  furious  enemy  close  in 
the  rear,  was  as  masterly  a  piece  of  military  strategy 
as  was  ever  performed. 

The  enemy  lost  in  this  battle  five  thousand  prison 
ers,  fifteen  stands  of  colors,  seven  pieces  of  artillery, 
nine  thousand  wounded,  and  a  large  amount  of  com 
missary  stores  and  munitions  of  war. 

By  the  6th  of  June  our  army  was  safely  across  the 
river,  at  Falmouth.  In  looking  back  from  this  point 
over  the  field,  we  find  that  the  division  of  General 
Hancock,  in  its  imminent  position  on  the  extreme 
left,  did  all  that  brave  men,  well  led,  could  have  done. 


188  WINF1ELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

Their  losses  were  among  the  severest  of  that  scene 
of  terrible  carnage.  He  not  only  held  his  own,  in 
the  very  front  of  the  fight,  but  drove  the  enemy,  at 
all  points.  No  men,  on  any  field  of  battle,  could 
have  been  handled  better  than  his  were.  His  praisl 
was  on  every  tongue ;  and  the  despatches  of  those  in 
superior  command  speak  of  his  deeds  with  the  highest 
satisfaction. 

It  was  immediately  after  this  engagement  that 
President  LINCOLN,  as  Commander-in-chief,  assigned 
General  HANCOCK  to  the  command  of  his  favorite 
Second  Corps  in  the  Army  of  the  United  States 

The  South  now  initiated  new  and  yet  bolder  de 
signs  for  the  destruction  of  a  Union  that  had  never 
done  them  wrong ;  for  the  overthrow  of  a  constitu 
tion  that  had  ever  provided  ample  protection  fo'*  all 
their  rights.  They  massed  their  scattered  forces 
anew,  and  prepared  for  a  raid  further  north  —  the 
domineering  onset  and  fitting  conclusion  of  which 
we  now  proceed  tc  describe. 


CHAPTER  XXL 

The  Invasion  of  Pennsylvania  and  Maryland — The  Famous  Height* 
of  Gettysburg — "The  Army  of  the  Potomac"  Confronts  Lee's,  and 
Prepares  for  Battle. 

THE  invasion  of  the  States  of  Maryland  and  Penn 
sylvania,  in  the  year  1863,  by  the  large  and 
picked  force  under  gallant  General  Kobert  Edward 
Lee,  must  always  occupy  a  conspicuous  place  in  the 
history  of  the  great  American  Rebellion.  In  some 
respects  it  may  be  regarded  as  the  turning-point  in 
the  war.  By  a  series  of  fortuitous  circumstances 
the  Southrons  had  won  several  important  victories. 
Flushed  with  these  temporary  successes,  pressed  for 
immediate  supplies  by  the  brilliant  conquests  woo 
over  their  western  bases  by  General  Grant  and  Com- 
modore  Foote,  they  turned,  like  hungry  vultures  in 
quest  of  fresh  prey,  on  the  tempting  and  compara 
tively  unguarded  lines  of  the  more  Northern  border 
States.  The  successful  invasion  of  these  States  would 
not  only  redeem  what  they  had  already  lost,  and 

(189) 


190  WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYERS  SON. 

what  they  had  serious  premonitioDS  of  losing,  at  the 
South  and  West,  but  it  would  supply  them  with 
needed  stores  from  the  teeming  valleys  and  fertile 
plains  and  rich  mountain  mines  of  the  central  region 
of  the  country ;  it  would  force  beneath  their  tram 
pling  feet,  and  yield  to  their  clutching  hands,  eager 
for  the  prize  of  victory,  the  stores  and  shipping,  the 
factories  and  dwellings  of  the  populous  cities  of  the 
Union.  What  a  splendid  prize  for  the  ambitious 
Southron !  With  what  fond  delight  the  hearts  of 
the  Confederacy  gloated  over  the  glorious  prospect 
that  opened  before  them  1 

It  was  known  to  the  invaders  that  large  bodies  of 
the  defenders  of  the  Union  had  returned  to  their 
homes,  their  terms  of  service  having  expired.  They 
entertained  the  belief  that  the  force  they  might  meet 
would  be  composed  exclusively  of  the  undisciplined 
yeomanry  of  the  regions  first  to  be  ravaged,  who, 
they  imagined,  would  fall  an  easy  prey  to  their  ad 
vancing  veteran  legions.  They  anticipated,  and  not 
without  reason,  that  many  sympathizers  in  their 
open  and  avowed  purposes  would  hasten  to  meet 
them,  with  open  arms,  as  they  crossed  the  border.  In 
the  Atlantic  cities,  they  knew,  were  large  numbers 
of  aliens,  sworn  subjects  of  foreign  monarchs,  who 
had  sought  our  country  only  to  witness  or  hasten  ita 


AT  GETTYSBURG.  191 

'dismemberment;  who  were  ready  to  join,  at  a  mo 
ment's  warning,  with  anybody  and  everybody  who 
would  be  most  certain  to  secure  its  destruction  as  a 
Republic.  These  foreigners  were  led  by  one  of  the 
master  military  spirits  of  the  age,  who  had  gained 
his  warlike  knowledge  in  a  national  academy,  and 
now  turned  that  experience  against  the  very  parent 
of  it.  Brave  but  equally  misguided  men  were  with 
him  in  subordinate  capacities,  all  of  whom  should 
have  been  inspired  by  nobler  ambitions,  since  all 
owed  equal  fealty  to  the  nation  they  were  striving 
against  so  earnestly  and  so  bitterly.  One  had 
occupied  a  seat  in  the  Congress  of  the  nation ; 
and  all  of  them,  from  the  highest  to  the  lowest  in 
rank,  who  had  shared  the  instructions  of  our  national 
military  schools,  had  been  in  part  sustained  there  from 
the  tributes  paid  for  their  education  by  the  people 
of  the  commonwealths  they  were  at  <that  moment 
aiming  to  destroy.  The  United  States  cadets  in  that 
invading  force  were,  at  the  instant  of  invasion,  under 
the  most  solemn  oaths  to  defend  those  States  against 
all  comers ;  to  uphold  the  flag  whose  folds  waved 
over  them  when  they  drank  at  the  fountain  of  know 
ledge  it  guarded,  and  whose  familiar  stripes  and  stars 
now  fluttered  so  reproachfully  and  yet  so  gallantly 
before  their  eyes,  from  the  Union  lines  in  front. 
In  spite  of  all  this,  in  spite  of  the  uncalled-for 


192  W1NFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

nature  of  the  rebellion,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  a 
considerable  proportion  of  the  citizens  about  to  be 
outraged  on  the  Pennsylvania  line,  and  through  the 
contiguous  region,  were  non-combatants,  in  principle 
and  practice,  as  their  fathers  had  been  before  them, 
on  came  the  ruthless  invaders.  If,  unlike  the  bar 
baric  Assyrian,  their  cohorts  were  not 

"gleaming  with  purple  and  gold," 

they  were  like  him  in  coming 

"as  a  wolf  on  the  fold." 

Early  in  June,  1863,  this  rampant  force  of  inva 
ders,  followed  by  a  long  train  of  plunder  wagons, 
came  sweeping  down  from  the  seat  of  war  in  Vir 
ginia  to  the  doomed  States  of  Pennsylvania  and  Ma 
ryland.  The  chief  schemers  in  Richmond,  in  conjunc 
tion  with  their  allies  in  the  invading  army  and  among 
their  fellow  Confederates  at  the  North,  had  blatantly 
given  out  that  the  invasion,  this  time,  was  to  be  a 
success.  The  free  States  were  to  be  conquered ;  the 
capital  of  the  nation  was  to  be  taken  and  held.  They 
knew  the  country  was  comparatively  unprepared  for 
it.  They  were  as  well  aware  as  we  could  be  that  our 
most  reliable  troops  were  nearly  all  employed  on  a 
distant  and  dangerous  service.  They  numbered, 
when  the  invasion  commenced, — they  did  not  num 
ber  quite  so  many  when  it  ended, — an  effective  force 


AT  GETTYSBURG.  193 

of  90,000  infantry,  10,000  cavalry,  over  4,000  artil- 
lery, — an  aggregate  of  105,000  men,  of  all  arms. 

On  the  28th  of  June,  the  Confederates,  desperately 
determined  to  strike  a  heavy  blow,  formed  their  angry 
line  of  battle  on  the  heights  and  among  the  passes 
around  the  town  of  Gettysburg.  This  now  memora 
ble  place  is  situated  on  elevated  ground,  in  the  midst 
of  a  fertile  farming  country.  It  is  one  hundred  and 
fourteen  miles  west  of  Philadelphia,  and  thirty-six 
south  of  Harrisburg,  the  capital  of  Pennsylvania. 
Its  location  gives  it  a  peculiar  importance.  It  stands 
like  an  interior  gateway  between  the  North  and  South. 
Its  college  and  seminary,  its  churches,  newspapers, 
banks,  and  manufacturing  establishments,  award  it  a 
controlling  influence  through  much  of  the  region 
where  it  stands.  It  contained  a  population  of  nearly 
5,000. 

The  rapid  and  near  approach  of  the  enemy  soon 
established  the  fact  that  this  handsome  and  retired 
yet  unfortified  Pennsylvania  borough  was  to  be  the 
theatre  of  a  sanguinary  fight.  In  the  sudden  emer 
gency  the  most  that  could  be  done  was  to  gather 
hastily  such  of  the  militia  of  the  country  as  might 
be  thrown  forward  to  the  field.  This  vast  disparity 
between  the  character  of  the  threatened  attack  and 

the  means  at  ht*nd  for  defence  was  startling  to  all 
17  N 


194  WINFIELL.  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

concerned.  To  the  assailant  it  promised  an  early 
victory;  to  the  assailed  a  fearful  defeat.  It  is  no 
wonder  that  alarm  spread  on  every  hand  among  the 
borderers.  Unprotected  families  and  property  de 
manded  the  first  care  of  the  citizens,  ere  they  could 
arm  and  prepare  to  march,  all  untried  as  they  were, 
to  meet  the  invaders.  The  only  reliable  hope  for 
confronting  and  beating  back  the  columns  of  Lee 
was  in  the  Army  of  the  Potomac ;  and  that  army,  at 
the  critical  juncture  of  the  first  approach  of  the 
enemy,  was  supposed  to  be  at  a  comparatively  great 
distance.  It  was  not  until  that  noble  host,  then  in 
command  of  General  Hooker,  and  at  the  time  of  the 
action  led  by  General  Meade,  came  on  the  ground, 
that  the  work  of  defence  assumed  a  definite  shape. 

The  appearance  of  Meade  was,  to  a  large  portion 
of  thehostiles,  like  the  coming  of  Banquo's  ghost  to 
Macbeth.  Lee,  of  course,  supposed  that  Hooker 
would  pursue  him ;  but  he  had  not  calculated  on  the 
alacrity  with  which  our  Potomac  veterans  flew  to  the 
rescue  of  the  perilled  border  of  the  Susquehanna. 
He  thought  only  of  Fredericksburg  and  Chancel- 
lorsville.  He  had  not  heard,  then,  from  Gettysburg 
or  Vicksburg.  As  his  bold  troops  moved  down  to 
the  site  of  the  battle  and  began  to  deploy  in  action, 
where  they  expected  and  hoped  only  to  meet  the  raw 


AT  GETTYSBURG.  195 

volunteers,  hurriedly  brought  against  them,  it  was 
with  ill-disguised  astonishment  they  gazed  on  the 
dust-covered  lines  of  veterans  directly  in  front. 

"  The  Army  of  the  Potomac  1"  "  The  Army  of  the 
Potomac  1"  passed,  in  gasping  tones,  along  the  whole 
ranks. 

"Ah!  they  are  here  1" 

That  splendid  army  was  indeed  there ;  and  right 
bravely  did  it  prove  its  presence  through  every  day 
and  hour  of  the  succeeding  battle. 

The  limits  of  our  volume,  and  the  space  necessarily 
occupied  by  other  topics  of  interest  to  the  general 
reader,  will  not  allow  us  to  narrate  all  the  scenes  we 
should  be  happy  to  place  in  these  pages  connected 
with  this  signal  action.  It  began  on  the  morning  of 
the  1st  and  closed  on  the  evening  of  the  3d  of  July — 
the  salvos  of  its  glorious  victory,  in  chorus  with  those 
of  Yicksburg,  appropriately  ushering  in  the  natal 
day  of  our  nation's  independence. 

It  is  impossible,  in  this  work,  to  do  the  justice 
they  so  richly  deserve  to  all  the  parties  who  distin 
guished  themselves  or  this  memorable  field.  Meade, 
Reynolds,  Sedgwick,  Hancock,  Slocum,  Butterfield, 
Doubleday,  Pleasanton,  Couch,  Gibbon,  Graham, 
Sickles,  Warren,  and  a  host  of  others,  are  all  worthy 
*>f  honorable  mention.  The  name  of  Reynolds  de- 


196  WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

serves  especial  remembrance ;  for  it  was  he  who  was 
first  to  withstand  the  surging  horde  as  it  swept  over 
the  heights ;  it  was  he  who  gave  the  enemy  his  first 
decided  check ;  and  he  was  the  first  general  officer 
who  fell  on  the  Union  side.  All  honor  to  his  memory 
—  and  to  that  of  the  heroes  who  fell  around  him  on 
that  and  succeeding  days,  and  whose  patriot  dust  has 
been  so  well  enshrined  in  the  National  Cemetery  at 
Gettysburg. 


The  lightnings  may  flash,  the  loud  thunders  rattle, 
They  see  not,  they  hear  not,  they're  free  from  all  pain ; 

They  sleep  their  last  sleep,  they  have  fought  their  last 
No  Bound  shall  awake  them  to  glory  again. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

The  Furious  Fight  of  Gettysburg  —  General  Hancock,  with  th* 
Second  Army  Corps,  in  the  Centre  of  the  Battle  —  Colonel  Randall 
and  the  Gallant  Thirteenth  Vermont  —  "Colonel,  can  you  take 
that  Battery  f  "  "  J  can,  Sir  /  "  —  Hancock  Severely  Wounded. 


position  of  General  HANCOCK,  in  command 
I  of  the  Second  Army  Corps,  was  near  the  centre 
of  the  most  active  part  of  the  field  of  battle.  His 
right  was  near  the  Emmitsburg  road,  and  his  left  ex 
tended  toward  the  granite  spur  of  Bound  Top.  It 
was  emphatically  a  post  of  honor,  for  the  headquar 
ters  of  the  commanding  General  were  immediately 
in  his  rear.  The  lines  of  Longstreet,  under  Hood, 
McLaw,  Pickett,  Garnett,  and  Anderson,  were  directly 
in  front.  Barksdale,  one  of  the  most  active  of  the 
Southern  generals,  was  in  advance.  Cemetery  Hill 
—  now  so  appropriately  occupied  as  the  site  of  the 
great  National  Cemetery  of  our  Union  heroes  —  waa 
17*  (197) 


198  WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

on  his  right  flank,  beyond  which  was  the  rebel  corps 
of  Ewell,  under  Early  and  Ehodes.  In  the  rear  was 
a  large  body  of  cavalry,  commanded  by  the  energetic 
Generals  Wade  Hampton,  "W.  H.  F.  Lee,  and  Jen 
kins,  flanked  by  several  batteries  of  the  enemy.  The 
brigade  of  Walker — formerly  Stonewall  Jackson's — 
extended,  as  the  battle  advanced,  close  to  the  rear,  in 
front  of  the  Twelfth  Union  Corps,  under  Slocum, 
aided  by  Geary,  Wadsworth,  and  Steinwehr.  Sedg- 
wick,  with  the  Sixth  Corps,  was  on  Hancock's  imme 
diate  left  wing,  and  Doubleday,  with  his  splendid 
battery,  on  the  right. 

The  plan  of  the  field,  prepared  by  Elliott,  under 
the  direction  of  DAVID  WILLS,  Esq.,  of  Gettysburg, 
by  authority  of  Governor  CUKTIN,  contains  a  minute 
and  correct  sketch  of  every  position  occupied  by  both 
the  contending  armies,  during  the  whole  of  the  three 
days.  The  subsequent  labors  of  Mr.  Wills,  in  organ 
izing  and  completing  the  measures  that  have  resulted 
in  the  establishment  of  the  National  Union  Ceme 
tery,  are  well  worthy  of  the  high  praise  that  is  so 
generally  bestowed  upon  them. 

On  the  arrival  of  General  HANCOCK  the  Union 
troops,  composing  the  second  division  of  the  Eleventh 
Corps,  under  General  Steinwehr,  had  been  ordered 
by  Major  General  Howard  to  occupy  the  command- 


IN  THE  GETTYSBURG  FIGHT.  199 

ing  eminence  of  Cemetery  Hill.  At  this  time  Han 
cock  was  in  command  of  the  entire  field,  having  been 
temporarily  assigned  to  the  post  by  General  Meade, 
who  had  not  then  reached  the  lines.  He  at  once  sta 
tioned  the  troops  so  as  to  be  prepared  for  any  sudden 
assault  the  enemy  might  make.  It  was  a  critical 
moment.  Our  men  were  arriving  rapidly,  yet  worn 
down  with  the  fatigue  of  long  and  forced  marches. 
But  their  valor  was  fully  equal  to  the  emergency. 
They  repulsed  the  attack  of  the  enemy,  and,  main 
taining  their  strong  position,  were  soon  reinforced  by 
the  arrival  of  the  Twelfth  Corps,  under  Slocum,  and 
a  part  of  the  Third,  under  Sickles. 

The  death  of  Reynolds,  in  the  opening  of  the  fight, 
while  bravely  leading  on  the  old  First  Corps,  check 
ing  the  advance  of  the  rested  columns  of  the  rebels 
thrown  against  the  fatigued  and  smaller  ranks  of  the 
Union,  had  cast  a  gloom  over  the  scenes  which  closed 
the  first  day's  battle.  Early  on  the  morning  of  the 
2d  of  July,  the  Commander-in  chief  arrived  on  the 
ground.  He  was  pleased  to  recognize  and  approve 
the  dispositions  made  by  Generals  Hancock  and  How 
ard,  in  the  sudden  emergencies  of  the  hour.  The 
positions  taken  by  these  Generals,  and  those  of  their 
associates  in  command,  were  regarded  as  favorable, 
and  preparations  were  immediately  made  for  a  vigor- 


200  WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

ous  attack  on  the  enemy.  The  whole  Union  army 
was  at  once  concentrated  at  Gettysburg.  By  seven 
o'clock  in  the  morning  of  that  day,  the  Second  Corps, 
in  the  immediate  command  of  Hancock,  was.  posted 
at  the  front.  The  distance  between  him  and  the  foe, 
nt  this  moment,  was  but  little  over  a  mile. 

"The  click  of  hammers  closing  rivets  up," 

the  clangor  of  trumpets,  the  roll  of  drums,  the  tramp 
of  armed  men  marching  and  countermarching,  on 
both  sides,  could  be  distinctly  heard  in  the  opposing 
camps.  The  pickets  of  Union  and  disunion  looked 
each  other  in  the  face ;  and  the  flags  of  liberty  and 
slavery  flapped  defiance  at  each  other.  The  great 
battle  was  at  hand. 

It  is  but  the  just  tribute  of  truth  to  history  that 
the  fact  be  recorded  here,  that  the  position  of  General 
Hancock  on  that  memorable  field,  at  that  thrilling 
moment,  was  one  of  paramount  importance.  The 
arrival  of  the  Second  Corps,  followed  by  the  Fifth 
and  Sixth,  was  most  opportune.  But  for  that  arrival, 
it  would  seem  that  the  day  must  have  gone  against 
us.  It  checked  the  eager  advance  of  the  enemy, 
gave  our  troops  time  for  much  needed  rest,  and  ren 
dered  the  numbers  of  the  contending  forces  more 
nearly  equal. 

At  the  hour  of  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  of  the 


IN  THE  GETTYSBURG  FIGHT.  201 

2d  of  July,  the  battle  was  resumed,  bj  the  opening 
of  the  heavy  batteries  on  our  nearest  lines.  General 
Sickles  was  wounded,  and  his  command  forced  back. 
At  this  perilous  juncture  Hancock,  surrounded  by 
his  associates,  came  to  the  rescue.  The  enemy  wag 
in  turn  driven  from  the  field,  and  our  success  ren 
dered  complete.  Every  desperate  attempt  of  the 
enemy  to  break  our  lines,  and,  especially,  to  possess 
themselves  of  our  ammunition  and  supply  trains,  was 
bravely  met  and  nobly  overcome. 

The  morning  of  the  third  day  broke  over  the  field. 
At  early  dawn  our  artillery  opened  fire,  which  con 
tinued  several  hours;  but  near  midday  no  movement 
whatever  was  made  on  either  side.  At  this  hour, 
following  a  silence  more  awful  in  such  a  spot  than 
all  the  thunders  of  battle,  the  rebel  batteries  directed 
a  deadly  fire  against  the  Corps  of  Hancock.  Lee 
had  vainly  imagined  this  to  be  his  most  favored  point 
of  attack.  Dashing  from  behind  the  woods  of  Ceme 
tery  Kidge,  the  flower  of  that  part  of  the  enemy's 
force  swept  onward  to  the  very  muzzles  of  Hancock's 
guns.  His  well-tried  Corps,  aided  by  Doubleday  and 
Stannard,  met  the  shock  with  all  their  wonted  cool- 
ness  and  courage,  and  hurled  the  foe  back  in  con 
fusion. 

It  was  at  this  moment  the  scene  occurred  of  which 


202  WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

our  artist  has  given  the  reader  the  graphic  illustra 
tion  that  accompanies  these  pages.  The  Thirteenth 
Yermont  regiment,  Colonel  Randall,  was  in  a  position 
to  render  assistance  to  one  of  our  endangered  batte 
ries.  General  Doubleday,  riding  rapidly  up,  drew 
off  a  portion  of  the  command.  They  quickly  obeyed 
his  summons,  and  rendered  such  support  to  the  ar 
tillery  that  the  guns  were  not  only  saved  but  enabled 
to  continue  to  supply  effective  service.  The  remain 
der  of  the  regiment  was  in  line  of  battle,  ready  for 
action,  at  a  moment's  warning,  when  a  fresh  battery 
opened  in  a  new  and  powerful  position,  doing  us  con 
siderable  damage. 

General  Hancock,  perceiving  the  crisis  at  a  glance, 
galloped  to  the  Yermonters,  through  repeated  showers 
of  shot  and  shell  from  the  enemy,  and  saluting  and 
addressing  Randall,  as  he  pointed  with  his  sword  to 
the  rebels  and  their  gjuns,  enquired: 
"  Colonel  1  can  you  take  that  battery  ?" 
The  Colonel  lifted  his  cap,  returning  the  salute, 
and  quickly  replied : 
"lean,  General!" 

In  a  moment  more  came  the  Colonel's  order : 
"  Thirteenth  Yermont !   Forward !  Double-quick !" 
The  Green  Mountaineers  wheeled  at  the  word,  and, 
with  fixed  bayonets,  rushed  on  the  batteries  of  the 


IN  THE  GETTYSBURG  FIGHT.  203 

enemy.  Colonel  Randall,  a  gentleman  somewhat 
advanced  in  years,  kept  his  cap  waving  in  his  hand, 
his  few  remaining  locks  streaming  in  the  wind, 
as  he  rushed  in  front,  cheering,  at  the  top  of  his 
voice : 

"Forward!  men!  forward!" 

Hancock  was  near  them  as  they  dashed  on  to  within 
firing  distance  of  the  battery,  and  poured  among  the 
enemy  ten  volleys  from  their  well-aimed  rifles. 

"Charge  ! "  cried  Eandall,  his  tones  clear  and  strong 
above  the  roar  of  the  Confederate  cannon. 

"  Come  on,  boys !     Now  or  never !" 

Instantly  the  men  sprang  toward  the  gunners, 
every  bayonet  fixed,  and  doing  its  work.  They 
rushed  over  the  belching  mouths  of  the  guns,  leaped 
along  the  caissons,  and,  with  a  mountain  shout,  drove 
the  enemy  from  the  hill,  and  brought  off  every  piece 
to  the  Union  rear. 

This  gallant  deed  was  scarcely  achieved,  ere  Gene 
ral  Hancock  rode  along  the  lines  again,  and  enquired : 

"What  regiment  is  this?" 

"The  Thirteenth  Vermont,  sir,"  answered  Colonel 
Randall,  still  holding  his  nap  in  his  hand. 

"You  have  done  yourselves  great  honor,"  con 
tinued  Hancock.  "  The  whole  army  will  render  you 
thanks." 


204  WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  S02T. 

It  was  not  long  after  this  brilliant  achievement 
that  the  General  was  wounded.  He  was  laid  bleed 
ing  on  the  grass,  surrounded  by  anxious  groups  of 
officers  and  men.  The  breastworks  of  the  enemy 
were  but  a  short  distance  ofij  and  the  battle  was  still 
raging. 

"Shall  we  not  carry  you  to  the  rear,  General?" 
enquired  Colonel  Yesey,  who  was  near  him. 

"  No,  I  thank  you,  Colonel,"  said  Hancock,  waving 
his  hand  gracefully,  in  the  midst  of  his  pain,  calmly 
adding : 

"Attend  to  your  commands,  gentlemen;  I  will 
take  care  of  myself." 

In  connection  with  a  preceding  charge  on  Han 
cock's  Corps  occurred  the  death  of  the  brave  General 
Barksdale.  Our  forces  had  been  pushed  forward  to 
meet  the  enemy,  who  were  dashing  furiousty  on  oiu 
lines.  After  the  enemy  had  been  repulsed,  some  cap 
tured  prisoners  informed  Colonel  Yesey,  then  in  com 
mand  of  the  captors,  that  their  General  had  fallen, 
and  was  lying  in  front,  on  the  ground.  The  Colonel 
immediately  advanced  his  line  of  skirmishers  until 
they  came  to  the  place  designated.  There  they  found 
the  dying  General,  stretched  on  the  grass,  weltering 
in  his  blood  and  writhing  in  agony.  They  raised 
him  up  carefully  and  carried  him  to  the  rear  of  ouf 


IN  THE  GETTYSBURG  FIGHT.  205 

hues.  He  was  speechless,  and  died  about  two  hours 
after. 

By  the  afternoon  of  Friday,  July  3d,  the  storm  of 
the  battle  had  ended.  The  retreat  of  the  enemy  be 
gan  immediately  after  his  discomfiture.  He  literally 
stood  not  upon  the  order  of  going,  but  went  —  and 
that  so  rapidly,  that  he  left  nearly  eight  thousand 
prisoners,  and  sick  and  wounded,  in  our  hands.  The 
aggregate  loss  of  Lee  was  thirty-seven  thousand  men 
—  among  whom  were  seven  Generals  killed  in  the 
battle,  and  six  wounded.  He  lost  in  prisoners,  in 
cluding  the  wounded,  thirteen  thousand  six  hundred 
and  twenty- one.  Of  trophies  there  were  three  guns, 
forty-one  colors,  and  of  small  arms  twenty -four  thou 
sand  nine  hundred  and  seventy  eight. 

Such  was  the  battle  of  Gettysburg.  Of  the  part 
taken  in  it,  *rom  its  beginning  to  its  close,  by  General 
Hancock,  his  friends  may  well  cherish  a  grateful  re 
membrance.  The  influence  of  this  victory  over  the 
invaders  of  his  native  State  will  always  be  felt,  and 
the  gallant  deeds  of  her  son  be  cherished,  not  only 
through  Pennsylvania,  but  in  all  the  land. 

During  the  severest  part  of  the  third  day's  battle, 

there  was  a  period  when  the  troops  in  command  of 

General  Birney  were  in  imminent  peril.     A  large 

force  of  the  enemy,  sweeping  furiously  down  from 

18 


206  WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

the  contiguous  hills,  had  nearly  environed  him  in 
their  deadly  embrace.  General  Hancock,  perceiving 
the  danger  from  his  centre,  placed  himself  at  the 
head  of  a  picked  division,  and  dashed  rapidly  for 
ward  to  the  scene.  His  gallant  approach  was  noticed 
by  all,  and  those  who  were  nearest  to  him  among  the 
participants  in  the  sanguinary  struggle,  felt  sure 
that  some  important  and  brilliant  movement  was  in 
hand. 

Approaching  the  disordered  lines,  he  bowed  po 
litely  to  the  commander,  and  said : 

"  General  Birney  1  you  are  nearly  surrounded  by 
the  enemy." 

"  I  know  it,  General  Hancock,"  replied  Birney ; 
"  I  am  doing  my  best  against  a  superior  force." 

"I  have  brought  you  these  reinforcements,"  con 
tinued  Hancock,  waving  his  hand  toward  the  rapidly 
coming  troops. 

"  You  will  place  them,  at  your  discretion,  General 
Birney;  and  I  will  hold  you  responsible  for  their 
lives.  General  Willard,  in  immediate  command,  will 
fight  the  men." 

The  balls  of  the  infuriate  enemy,  who  had  been 
bitterly  disappointed  at  the  reception  given  him  by 
the  lines  of  Hancock,  were  flying  through  the  air 


IN  THE  GETTYSBURG  FIGHT.  207 

like  a  driving  storm  of  hail.  General  Hancock  coolly 
maintained  his  seat  on  horseback,  and  watched,  for  a 
few  moments,  the  dispositions  made  of  the  reinforce 
ments  he  had  so  opportunely  brought. 

Bowing  gracefully  to  the  parting  salute  of  the 
Generals  and  others  in  command,  he  turned  the  head 
of  his  horse  toward  another  part  of  the  hotly-con 
tested  field.  At  that  moment  a  ball  passed  near  him, 
and  struck  directly  in  the  forehead  of  General  Wil- 
lard,  who  fell  dead  at  his  feet.  The  look  of  Hancock 
at  that  thrilling  instant  is  indescribable.  He  gazed  si 
lently  on  his  fallen  and  gallant  companion  in  arms,  and 
then  glanced  his  searching  eye  to  note  its  effects  on  the 
men.  Every  man  was  at  his  post,  fighting  bravely 
still,  as  tne  new  commander  stepped  forward  to  the 
vacant  place.  Again  he  waved  his  hand  as  a  signal 
of  adieu  to  the  heroic  troops  who  were  standing  up 
so  bravely  for  the  old  flag,  and  dashed  onward  to 
ward  the  next  post  of  duty  and  danger.  As  the  two 
Generals,  Hancock  and  Birney,  rode  rapidly  along, 
"^viewing  the  lines,  giving  orders  and  words  of  en 
couragement,  the  brave  fellows  who  lay  wounded  in 
their  path  would  raise  themselves  up  from  the  crim 
soned  grass,  and  answer  with  cheers : 

"  General  I  we're  driving  them !   Hurra  1" 


208  W1NFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

Regardless  of  their  own  sufferings,  they  rejoiced 
thus  in  the  triumph  of  our  country,  some  of  them 
amid  the  very  agonies  of  death. 

"  It  was  more  than  we  could  bear,"  said  General 
Birney,  relating  the  scene,  as  he  remembered  how  his 
own  tears,  and  those  of  the  dashing  Hancock,  fell 
among  those  dying  heroes. 

"What  gem  hath  dropped  and  sparkles  o'er  his  chain? 
The  tear  most  sacred  shed  for  others'  pain; 
That  starts  at  once,  bright,  pure,  from  pity's  mine, 
Already  polished  by  the  hand  divine." 

It  is  no  wonder  to  us,  when  we  become  familiar 
with  such  incidents  as  these  in  the  career  of  General 
Hancock,  that  he  should  be  so  dear  to  the  hearts  of 
his  men.  When  the  roar  of  battle  was  the  loudest, 
he  was  sure  to  be  present,  if  in  his  power  to  be. 
Where  his  gallant  soldiers  fell  the  fastest,  he  was 
always  certain  to  be  near.  The  humblest  man  in  the 
ranks  never  passed  unnoticed.  His  manly,  command 
ing  presence  acted  like  a  charm  wherever  seen,  and 
his  well-chosen  words  passed  like  an  electric  force 
from  rank  to  rank. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

General  Hancock  at  Home  after  the  Battle — The  Wounded  Hero 
an  Object  of  Adoration — An  Elegant  and  Costly  Testimonial  from 
the  Friends  of  his  Youth  —  Once  more  at  the  Front. 

THE  brief  sojourn  of  General  HANCOCK  with  his 
parents,  in  Norristown,  during  a  part  of  the 
summer  of  1863,  was  as  agreeable  as  the  state  of  his 
severe  wound  would  permit.  On  his  reaching  home 
from  the  battle-field  of  Gettysburg,  the  citizens 
flocked  around  to  pay  him  their  respects.  His  posi 
tion  in  the  railway  car,  where  he  was  placed  at  length 
on  a  stretcher  laid  over  the  backs  of  the  seats,  drew 
to  his  side  many  sympathizing  friends,  who  united 
to  testify  their  warm  admiration  of  his  character. 
Arrived  at  the  station,  in  Norristown,  he  was  met  by 
a  detachment  of  the  Invalid  Guards,  who  tenderly 
placed  him  on  their  shoulders,  and  bore  him  through 
the  streets.  The  inhabitants  along  the  route,  as  may 
well  be  supposed,  were  deeply  moved  at  the  sight. 
18*  0  (209) 


210  WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

Not  knowing  the  extent  of  his  wounds,  and  seeing 
him  thus  prostrate  in  the  hands  of  soldiers,  marching 
with  a  steady  step  on  the  side- walks,  they  watched  the 
scene  with  peculiar  interest.  The  boy  of  other  days 
had  now  come  as  a  Major  General  of  the  Army  of  the 
United  States,  bearing  on  his  person  a  wound  that 
attested  the  love  he  bore  his  native  land.  The  door 
ways  and  windows  of  the  silent  route  were  crowded 
with  anxious  faces,  down  some  of  which  coursed  the 
tears  of  sympathy. 

"What  a  change  to  WINFIELD  from 'the  days  of  his 
youth  1  How  thickly  the  thoughts  of  boyhood,  of 
school,  of  playmates  and  familiar  scenes,  crowded  the 
mind  of  the  gallant  soldier !  With  what  tender  wel 
comes  he  was  greeted  at  the  threshold  of  the  family 
mansion,  and  with  what  affectionate  care  he  was 
borne  to  his  quarters  under  the  parental  roof!  ^Gen 
tle  assiduities,  found  only  within  the  hallowed  pre 
cincts  of  home,  smoothed  his  couch  of  pain,  and 
ministered  to  him  there.  'Here  let  us  draw  the  cur 
tain,  and  leave  him  to  repose. 

His  recovery  was  gradual,  but  sure.  In  a  short 
time  his  active  energies  were  again  at  work.  His 
mind  soon  reverted  from  that  sick-room,  from  his 
own  physical  sufferings,  to  the  condition  of  his  coun 
try,  and  his  duties  in  the  service.  As  he  gained  i» 


HIS  PUBLIC  TESTIMONIALS.  211 

atrength,  his  fellow-citizens  waited  upon  him,  as  op 
portunity  offered,  and  testimonials  of  personal  friend 
ship  were  added  to  those  of  a  public  character.  His 
fellow  townsmen  took  immediate  steps  to  testify  their 
appreciation  of  his  signal  services.  At  the  instiga 
tion  of  several  of  his  youthful  companions,  and 
others,  under  the  direction,  principally,  of  B.  C. 
CHAIN,  Esq.,  a  service  of  gold  and  silver  plate  was 
prepared,  and  subsequently  presented  to  him.  The 
set  consists  of  nine  pieces,  elegantly  embossed,  and 
bears  the  following  inscription : 

TO 

MAJOR  GENERAL  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

FROM 
CITIZENS    OF    HIS    BIRTH-PLACE, 

NORRISTOWN, 

MONTGOMERY   COUNTY,  PENNSYLVANIA. 
July  ±th, 

1864. 

Crowning  the  inscription  on  each  piece  is  the  badge 
of  the  Second  Corps — the  Trefoil,  or  three-leaved  clo 
ver — a  peculiar  plant,  called  by  some  the  'none-such/ 
indicative  of  rare  honor,  and  a  choice  ornament  in 
the  architecture  of  the  temple  of  fame. 

The  cost  of  this  beautiful  and  appropriate  testimo 
nial  was  sixteen  hundred  dollars.  Its  value  to  the 


212  WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

recipient  cannot  be  computed  in  silver  or  gold.  It 
was  a  pleasant  reminder  to  him  of  the  days  spent  as 
a  boy  in  Norristown,  and  a  proof,  more  precious  than 
jewels,  that  his  playmates  had  not  forgotten  them, 
nor  the  manly  part  he  took  in  their  youthful  scenes. 
They  had  ever  regarded  him  as  a  leader  among  them ; 
and  this  valuable  memorial  was  a  renewed  assurance 
that  they  now  held  him  worthy  to  be  a  commander 
in  the  patriot  army  of  the  nation. 

The  moment  the  state  of  his  health  would  permit, 
he  resumed  his  labors  for  his  country.  He  had  a 
good  right  to  feel  that  the  wound  he  bore  was  an 
honorable  one ;  that  he  had  won  it  bravely  in  a  noble 
cause.  Every  view  taken  of  the  part  he  bore  in  the 
battle  that  caused  it,  abundantly  confirms  this  state 
ment. 

In  reviewing  the  field  of  Gettysburg,  the  country 
men  of  Hancock  must  ever  be  impressed  with  the 
great  value  of  his  services  on  that  occasion.  On  the 
fall  of  the  lamented  KEYNOLDS,  HANCOCK  had  pro 
ceeded  at  once  to  Gettysburg,  and  assumed  command 
of  the  three  Army  Corps  then  in  that  vicinity  —  the 
First,  Third  and  Eleventh.  It  had  been  contemplated 
to  give  the  enemy  battle  at  a  place  called  Pipe  creek; 
but,  on  arriving  on  the  ground,  Hancock  was  con 
vinced  that  Gettysburg  was  a  much  better  place  for 


HIS  PUBLIC  TESTIMONIALS.  213 

an  engagement.  The  disposition  of  the  whole  army 
was  made  at  that  point,  therefore,  by  his  immediate 
direction.  When  he  reached  the  field  of  action,  at 
two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  of  the  first  day,  every 
thing  was  in  confusion.  Our  troops  were  prema 
turely  retreating  in  all  directions.  He  immediately 
put  forth  his  utmost  exertions;  and,  being  well 
seconded  by  his  staff,  succeeded  in  restoring  order, 
and  posted  the  troops  at  those  advantageous  points 
which  they  continued  to  occupy  during  the  fight,  and 
at  which  they  'won  the  victory.  Their  positions  near 
the  Cemetery,  connecting  the  lines  with  Gulp's  Hills 
and  along  the  commanding  ridges,  to  the  base  of 
Bound  Top,  were  the  strongest  that  could  be  assumed 
by  our  side ;  and  all  of  them  were  made  by  order  of 
General  Hancock.  It  was  on  this  line  that  the  crown 
ing  battle  of  Gettysburg  was  fought  and  won. 

The  reports  of  these  positions  were  made  in  full 
detail  by  Hancock  to  General  MEADE,  when  he  came 
on  the  ground.  Not  one  of  them  was  materially 
changed,  all  1  trough  the  succeeding  battles.  Their 
great  advantages  were  at  once  admitted,  and  the  suc 
cess  which  attended  them  is  a  conclusive  proof  of  the 
military  skill  of  Hancock. 

His  subsequent  part  in  the  action  of  the  left  centre 
is  well  known  to  all.  The  repulse  of  the  fierce 


214  WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYIR'S  SON. 

assault  at  that  point  was  tlie  key  note  of  the  day. 
Victorious  there,  against  the  most  desperate  onslaughts 
of  the  picked  legions  of  Lee,  he  was  prompt  to  send, 
unasked,  the  support  that  was  needed  in  other  direc 
tions.  It  was  while  engaged  in  a  splendid  repulse 
of  the  enemy,  aiding  the  weakened  columns  of  the 
right  wing  against  the  fierce  main  attack,  that  he  fell 
seriously  wounded.  From  this  spot  he  was  borne 
from  the  field,  when  the  victory  was  pronounced  com 
plete,  to  his  Norristown  home. 

The  wound  was  of  such  a  nature  as  to  compel  him 
to  employ  an  amanuensis,  whom  he  directed  to  write 
to  his  family  and  parents.  Under  the  kind  care  he 
received  he  recovered  sufficiently  to  leave  Norristown 
for  West  Point.  How  natural  the  transition  !  On  his 
way  thither,  stopping  at  the  Fifth  Avenue  Hotel,  in 
New  York,  he  writes  home,  under  date  of  September 
15,  1863,  requesting  that  certain  military  documents 
should  be  arranged  and  forwarded,  in  order  that  he 
might  hasten  his  return  to  the  field. 

The  receptions  that  had  greeted  him  in  his  native 
county,  in  Philadelphia,  and  other  places,  were  fol 
lowed  up  in  the  Metropolitan  City.  Public  atten 
tions  welcomed  him,  on  every  side.  We  can  well 
understand  how  cordial  must  have  been  his  greeting 
at  old  West  Point.  What  a  contrast  was  there  between 


HIS  PUBLIC  TESTIMONIALS.  215 

nis  former  and  present  sojourns  in  that  national  mili 
tary  school !  His  fellow  cadets  were  all  gone ;  some 
of  the  professors  had  followed  them ;  but  the  scenes 
of  other  days  came  freshly  back  upon  him,  and  he 
lived  again  in  the  haunts  and  studies  of  the  past. 

As  soon  as  possible  he  reached  his  wife  and  chil 
dren  at '  Longwood,'  near  St.  Louis,  Missouri.  Writing 
to  his  father  from  that  city,  under  date  of  October 
12th,  '63,  he  says: 

"  I  threw  aside  my  crutches  a  few  days  after  my  arrival,  and  now 
walk  with  a  cane.  I  am  improving,  but  do  not  yet  walk  without  a 
little  'roll.'  My  wound  is  still  unhealed,  though  the  doctors  say  it 
is  closing  rapidly.  I  find  some  uneasiness  in  sitting  long  on  a  chair, 
and  cannot  yet  ride.  The  bone  appears  to  be  injured,  and  may  give 
me  trouble  for  a  long  time.  I  hope,  however,  I  may  be  well  enough 
in  two  weeks  to  join  my  Corps. 

I  am  busy  in  trimming  up  the  forest  trees  in  the  lawn  of  '  Long- 
wood,'  which  covers  nearly  eleven  acres.  I  know  it  is  not  the  best 
time ;  but  still  it  will  do. 

Alice  and  the  children  send  their  best  love  to  you  and  mother. 

Please  give  my  best  love  to  mother,  and  I  remain,  as  ever, 
Your  affectionate  Son, 

WINFIELD  S.  HANCOCK." 

"To  B.  P.  Hancock,  Esq., 

Norristown,  Pa." 

Every  true  parent  in  the  land  must  prize  such 
epistolary  expressions  as  these  from  such  a  man  as 
General  Hancock.  They  show  him  as  he  really  is. 


216  WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

Every  youth,  too,  should  learn  a  lesson  from  them, 
never  to  be  forgotten. 

The  people  of  St.  Louis  united  with  their  fellow- 
citizens  elsewhere  to  do  him  honor.  We  shall  speak 
in  another  part  of  this  volume  of  the  tribute  they 
paid  to  his  valor  as  a  soldier  and  his  worth  as  a  man, 
in  the  elegant  sword  presented  to  him  as  a  public  tes 
timonial  from  the  Western  Sanitary  Fair  in  that  city. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

Ordered  to  Washington  —  His  Headquarters  at  Harrisburg — In 
spiring  Address  to  the  Citizens  of  his  Native  State  —  The  City 
Councils  of  Philadelphia  Honor  Pennsylvania's  Son  —  Reception 
in  Independence  Hall. 

ON  the  15th  of  December,  1863,  Hancock   was 
again  ordered  to  Washington.     His  Gettysburg 
wound  was  not  yet  healed,  but  he  obeyed  the  order 
with  alacrity,  and  immediately  reported  himself  for 
duty  at  the  War  Department. 

It  was  during  this  period  that  he  was  talked  of  in 
influential  circles  for  the  command  of  the  Army  of 
the  Potomac.  There  is  no  impropriety  in  stating 
that  it  was  at  one  time  seriously  contemplated  to 
place  him  in  this  position.  He,  however,  did  not 
seek  it ;  neither  did  his  friends  seek  it  for  him.  On 
the  contrary,  he  disclaimed  all  such  desire ;  and  the 
most  active  of  his  immediate  counsellors  were  stren 
uous  in  their  efforts  to  dissuade  him  from  accepting 
the  command.  On  all  becoming  occasions  he  ex 
pressed  the  opinion  that  General  MEADE  was  the  man 

19  .  (217) 


218  WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

for  the  post ;  and  that  if  he  were  continued  in  active 
command  and  properly  supported  by  the  authorities 
and  the  country,  he  would  win  great  victories.  Pass 
ing  results  have  shown  the  wisdom  as  well  as  mag 
nanimity  of  General  HANCOCK  in  this  matter.  He 
well  knew  by  experience  the  obstacles  in  the  way  to 
success  with  that  army,  at  that  peculiar  juncture; 
and,  therefore,  as  we  have  said,  he  did  not  seek  the 
appointment,  neither  did  he  desire  his  friends  to  seek 
it  for  him.  There  is  good  reason  for  stating,  how 
ever,  that  if  General  MEADE  had  made  a  request  to 
be  relieved,  General  HANCOCK  would  have  relieved 
him. 

He  was  soon  detailed  to  the  responsible  work  of 
increasing  the  ranks  of  the  army,  by  his  personal 
presence  and  exertions.  Authority  was  given  him 
to  augment  his  Corps  to  fifty  thousand  effective  men. 
His  headquarters  were  established  at  Ilarrisburg,  the 
capital  of  his  native  State,  and  he  immediately  pro 
ceeded  to  the  work  among  his  fellow  Pennsylvanians. 
His  language  and  measures  on  the  occasion  were  well 
chosen,  and  to  the  point,  his  object  being  to  recruit 
in  all  the  States  represented  in  the  Second  Corps. 

Addressing  the  people  of  Pennsylvania,  from  his 
headquarters,  at  Harrisburg,  under  date  of  January, 
15,  1864,  he  says : 


RECRUITING.  219 

"  I  have  come  among  you  as  a  Pennsylvania!!,  for  the  purpose  of 
•ndeavoring  to  aid  you  in  stimulating  enlistments.  This  is  a  matter 
of  interest  to  all  the  citizens  of  the  State.  I  earnestly  call  upon 
you  all  to  assist,  by  the  exertioa  of  all  the  influence  in  your  power, 
in  this  important  matter. 

To  adequately  reinforce  our  armies  in  the  field  is  to  insure  that 
the  war  will  not  reach  your  homes.  It  will  be  the  means  of  bring 
ing  it  to  a  speedy  and  happy  conclusion.  It  will  save  the  lives  of 
many  of  our  brave  soldiers,  who  would  otherwise  be  lost  by  the 
prolongation  of  the  war,  and  in  indecisive  battles. 

It  is  only  necessary  to  destroy  the  rebel  armies  now  in  the  field, 
to  insure  a  speedy  and  permanent  peace.  Let  us  all  act  with  that 
fact  in  view. 

Let  it  not  be  s&id  that  Pennsylvania,  which  has  already  given  so 
many  or  her  sons  to  this  RIGHTEOUS  CAUSE,  shall  now,  at  the  eleventh 
hour,  be  behind  her  sister  States  in  furnishing  her  quota  of  the  men 
deemed  necesmiy  to  end  this  rebellion.  Let  it  not  be  that  those 
Pennsylvania  legiwents,  now  so  depleted,  that  have  won  for  them 
selves  so  much  hontt  in  the  field,  shall  pass  out  of  existence,  for  want 
of  patriotism  in  the  people. 

WINFIELD  S.  HANCOCK, 

Major  General  U.  S.  Volunteers." 

His  success  in  recruiting  was  equal  to  the  expecta 
tions  formed.  Subsequent  events  have  well  attested 
the  efficiency  of  his  measures.  Facilities  for  carrying 
out  his  patriotic  design  were  offered  him  in  the  cities 
of  New  York,  Albany,  Boston,  and  other  places. 

At  Philadelphia,  in  the  ensuing  month  of  February, 
public  demonstrations  of  respect  awaited  him.  The 
city  government  passed  a  series  of  resolutions,  intro 
duced  by  one  of  his  former  playmates  at  Norristown, 
then  a  member  of  the  Councils,  JOHN  W.  EVERMAH; 
Esq.,  of  which  we  here  present  a  copy : 


220  W1NFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 


Select  ant)  Common  (JTouncfls  1 

of  the  > 

CITY  OF  PHILADELPHIA.      } 

WELCOME 

TO 

MAJOR  GENERAL  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

Resolved,  BY  THE  SELECT  AND  COMMON  COUNCILS 

OF   THE 

CITY  OF  PHILADELPHIA, 

That  the  THANKS  of  the  Citizens  of  Philadelphia  are  eminently 
due  and  are  hereby  tendered  to 

MAJOR  GENERAL  HANCOCK, 

for  his  brilliant  services  in  the  cause  of  the  UNION,  during  the 
present  unholy  Rebellion  against  the  authority  of  the  GOV 
ERNMENT  AND  PEOPLE  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 
Resolved,  That  the  use  of  KntJepentience  jZQali  be  granted  to  Major 
General  HANCOCK,  for  the  reception  of  his  friends ;  and  in 
order  to  afford  the  Citizens  of  Philadelphia  an  opportunity  to 
testify  their  personal  regard  for  him,  and  their  appreciation 
of  his  gallantry  and  patriotism. 

Resolved,  That  the  Mayor  of  Philadelphia  and  the  Presidents 
of  Councils  be  requested  to  carry  these  resolutions  into  effect ; 
and  that  the  Clerks  of  Councils  be  requested  to  furnish  a 
copy  of  the  same  to  General  HANCOCK. 

ALEX'R  J.  HARPER, 
[CiTY  SEAL.]  President  of  the  Common  Council. 

JAMES  LYND, 

President  of  the  Select  Council. 
Attest:    WM.  F.  SMALL, 

Clerk  of  Common  Council. 

Approved  February  18th,  1864. 

ALEX.  HENRY,  Mayor. 


HIS  PUBLIC  RECEPTIONS.  221 

The  reception  of  the  General  and  his  friends  fol 
lowed  soon  after,  in  Independence  Hall.  The  papers 
of  the  day  describe  the  scene  as  one  of  the  most  im 
posing  that  ever  occurred  within  the  walls  of  the 
sacred  old  Temple  of  American  Liberty. 

On  the  ensuing  22d  of  February,  the  anniversary 
of  the  birth-day  of  WASHINGTON,  General  HANCOCK 
reviewed  the  volunteer  troops  of  Philadelphia  and 
vicinity.  The  parade  passed  off  in  the  most  spirited 
manner.  The  appearance  of  the  General  on  the  field, 
surrounded  by  a  brilliant  staff,  passing  along  the  line 
with  the  troops  arranged  as  if  in  battle  array,  was 
full  of  excitement,  and  called  forth  the  loud  plaudits 
of  the  immense  throng  of  citizens  who  witnessed  the 
display.  Some  idea  of  his  presence  in  action  could 
be  formed  by  the  gallant  bearing  of  the  General  on 
this  popular  occasion. 

At  the  close  of  the  review  an  incident  of  a  per 
sonal  character  occurred,  which  we  narrate  here,  as 
in  keeping  with  the  man  and  the  scope  of  our  book. 

The  General  had  dismounted,  at  the  close  of  the 
day,  and  was  about  passing  up  the  steps  of  the  La 
Pierre  House,  surrounded  by  the  officers  who  escorted 
him,  when  his  eye  caught  that  of  his  early  teacher 
in  Norristown,  Mr.  E.  ROBERTS,  who  was  standing, 

with  his  daughter,  near  the  entrance  to  the  hotel. 
19* 


222  W1NFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

The  General  paused,  and  extending  his  hand  to  the 
two  friends  of  his  early  years,  expressed  his  pleasure 
at  meeting  them,  and  introduced  them  to  the  gentle 
men  present.  It  was  a  singular  but  agreeable  meet 
ing  between  the  old  teacher  and  the  now  distinguished 
scholar. 

"  Call  and  see  me  at  the  hotel,  Mr.  Eoberts,  when 
I  am  more  at  leisure,"  said  the  General.  "  When  I 
am  a  little  stronger  from  the  effects  of  my  wound,  I 
will  return  the  call." 

At  the  appointed  time,  the  teacher  and  scholar  met 
again.  As  Mr.  Eoberts  entered  the  private  room  of 
the  General,  at  the  La  Pierre,  he  was  lying  on  his 
couch,  suffering  from  the  fatigue  to  which  the  review 
of  the  previous  day  had  subjected  his  wounded  limb. 
But  he  rose  at  once  to  pay  the  respect  due  from  a 
good  scholar  to  a  good  teacher. 

"  Do  not  rise,  "General  Hancock,"  said  Mr.  Koberts ; 
"  I  feel,  sir,  that  you  are  laying  me  under  too  much 
obligation  by  doing  so." 

"No,  Mr.  Eoberts,"  the  General  replied,  "I  shall 
always  feel,  sir,  that  I  am  under  obligations  to  you." 

"  It  is  sufficient  honor  for  me,  General,  to  have  had 
you  for  a  scholar." 

"  No,  sir.  I  feel  that  my  teachers  have  all  honored 
me.  Beside,  sir,  you  are  much  the  older  man  of  the 


HIS  PUBLIC  RECEPTIONS.  223 

two ;  and  my  parents  always  taught  me  to  reverence 
grey  hairs." 

"  I  did  not  have  grey  hairs  when  you  lirst  knew 
me,  General." 

"  True,  sir.  Our  mutual  obligations  were  formed 
when  we  were  both  younger  than  now.  But  I  can 
not  omit  to  use  my  anatomy  now,  even  if  it  is  im 
paired.  Let  me  be  ever  so  old,  I  can  never  forget 
my  school-teachers.  I  feel  that  my  experience  in  life 
has  proved  this  to  be  true :  as  is  the  teacher,  so  is  the 
school-boy ;  as  is  the  school-boy,  so  is  the  man." 

Other  parties  calling  in,  this  interesting  interview 
was  closed.  But  not  long  after  the  General  took  hi& 
son  Russell  with  him,  and  called  on  his  old  teacher. 

"  This  gentleman,  my  son,"  said  the  General,  "  is 
one  of  the  teachers  of  your  father,  when,  like  you, 
he  was  a  boy.  Remember  always  to  respect  the 
teacher  of  your  youth ;  and,  should  you  live  to  be 
come  a  man,  you  will  never  regret  it." 

It  is  this  spirit  of  the  man  that  stamps  the  name 
of  HANCOCF,  with  peculiar  honor.  He  was  always 
the  same  among  his  soldiers.  An  officer  of  the  staff 
of  another  distinguished  General,  in  alluding  to  this 
attribute  of  Hancock's  character,  says  of  him : 

"  The  attachment  that  he  manifests  for  his  brave 
soldiers  is  remarkable.  While  he  despises  a  coward, 


224  WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

if  the  humblest  man  in  the  ranks  should  be  the  first 
to  enter  Richmond,  as  a  conqueror,  General  HANCOCK 
would  be  among  the  first  to  do  him  honor." 

Passing  from  Philadelphia  to  New  York,  he  was 
received  in  the  latter  city  with  much  distinction.  The 
Governor's  Boom,  in  the  City  Hall,  was  placed  at  his 
disposal,  for  the  reception  of  his  friends,  and  every 
measure  adopted  that  could  be  to  aid  him  in  procur 
ing  recruits  for  his  Corps.  A  large  number  of  his 
troops  were  from  the  Empire  State.  They  were  so 
much  attached  to  his  person,  and  their  acquaintances 
at  home  so  participated  in  the  feeling  of  attachment, 
that  when  he  presented  himself  to  the  people  he  was 
claimed  by  them  as  a  New  Yorker.  This  impression 
became  so  common,  for  a  time,  that  one  of  the  publish 
ers  of  that  city  announced  a  volume  on  his  life,  as  a 
New  York  General. 

Passing  to  Albany,  the  capital  of  the  State  of  New 
York,  the  Legislature  paid  him  an  official  tribute 
of  respect  for  his  distinguished  services  to  the 
country. 

The  same  honors  were  bestowed  upon  him  in  Bos 
ton,  the  capital  of  Massachusetts,  where  the  General 
Court  invited  him  to  their  Representative  Chamber, 
and  where  the  merchants  and  other  citizens  waited 
upon  him  at  the  City  Exchange.  His  agreeable  man- 


HIS  PUBLIC  DECEPTIONS.  225 

ners,  added  to  his  well-known  courage  and  skill  in 
battle,  created  the  most  favorable  impressions  wher 
ever  he  went  on  his  tour  of  duty  through  New  Eng 
land.  Patriotic  applause  greeted  him  at  every  point, 
and  a  considerable  number  of  fighting  recruits  flocked 
to  his  standard. 


CHAPTER  XXV 

Hancock's  Campaign  with  Gram  -He  is  made  Major- General  of 
Volunteers  —  Tlie  Fight  in  the  Wilderness  —  Our  Hero  again 
Wounded  —  Generals  Stuart  and  Johnson,  the  Prisoners  of  hi* 
Command — Affecting  Meeting  with  Old  Companions. 

ON  the  18th  of  March,  1864,  the  General,  while 
still  actively  engaged  in  recruiting  his  Corps, 
writes  to  his  father  from  Harrisburg,  Pennsylvania : 

"  I  have  just  received  an  order  from  the  Secretary  of  War,  to  're 
port  without  delay  to  him  for  instructions,  prior  to  rejoining  my 
command  in  the  field.  I  have  but  time  to  notify  you  of  the  fact." 

Such  was  the  modest  announcement  of  his  entrance 
on  that  great  campaign  with  Lieutenant  General 
GRANT,  in  which  he  has  borne  his  part  with  so  much 
propriety. 

His  position  at  the  head  of  the  Second  Army  Corps 
was  one  in  which  he  felt  at  home.  He  knew  the 
men,  and  they  know  him.  A  large  proportion  of 
them  were  citizens  of  his  native  Pennsylvania,  and 
had  enlisted  in  the  service  of  the  United  States  under 

him  as  their  commander.     His  presence  among  them 

(220) 


IN  THE  CAMPAIGN  WITH  GRANT.          227 

always  excited  enthusiasm,  and  his  fearless  exposures 
of  his  person  inspired  them  to  deeds  of  valor.  As 
a  leader  he  resembled  Murat ;  but,  while  he  had  all 
the  dash  and  brilliancy,  he  displayed  the  attributes  of 
a  true  patriot  enlisted  in  a  far  better  cause  than  that 
of  any  Marshal  of  France.  His  convictions  of  the 
justice  of  the  war  for  the  American  Union  were  firm 
and  resolute.  It  was,  therefore,  with  the  ardor  be 
coming  the  great  occasion  before  him,  an  occasion 
on  which  he  felt  was  staked  the  very  life  of  the  Re 
public,  that  he  proceeded  to  the  front  and  resumed 
his  command. 

The  army  marched  from  Culpepper  Court  House, 
Virginia,  on  the  3d  of  May,  HAXCOCK  leading  the 
advance.  This  post  of  honor  was  eminently  his  due. 
In  all  the  previous  battles  in  which  he  was  engaged 
he  had  won  it  by  merit  on  the  field.  At  the  sanguin 
ary  fight  at  Fredericksburg,  he  had  proved  how  wor 
thy  he  was  to  occupy  it  by  the  skill  with  which  he 
fought  his  men.  On  that  occasion,  out  of  five  thou 
sand  under  his  command,  two  thousand  fell  around 
him,  killed  or  wounded,  including  over  one  hundred 
and  fifty  commissioned  officers.  He  was  much  ex 
posed  on  the  field,  and  had  three  of  his  Aids  wounded 
by  his  side.  When  the  report  came  in  from  a  flag 
of  truce  sent  to  the  enemy  to  make  arrangements  for 


228  W1NFIELD,   THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

the  burial  of  our  dead,  it  was  found  that  the  men 
nearest  the  earthworks,  far  in  advance  of  the  Union 
lines,  were  largely  composed  of  the  division  of  Han 
cock.  No  other  troops  but  his,  and  those  of  Kim- 
ball's  brigade,  had  ventured  so  close  to  the  face  of 
the  foe. 

It  was  immediately  after  these  signal  services,  as 
a  leader  of  the  advance,  that  he  was  nominated  by 
General  BURNSIDE  as  Major  General  of  Volunteers. 
His  appointment  to  that  rank  dates  from  November 
29th,  1862. 

In  the  battle  of  Chancellorsville,  where  our  whole 
army  was  so  exposed  to  the  hidden  and  furious  on 
slaughts  of  the  enemy,  he  occupied  the  advance  of 
the  extreme  left  wing.  Through  all  the  savage  as 
saults  made  upon  him  he  held  his  position  firmly, 
and  handled  his  command  with  such  judgment  and 
energy,  as  to  elicit  the  admiration  of  all  who  wit 
nessed  his  movements. 

His  position  at  Antietam  and  Gettysburg  was  pre 
cisely  the  same — in  the  advance.  At  the  latter  place 
his  line  of  battle  was  thrown  forward  for  a  mile  and 
a  half  in  the  immediate  front  of  a  large  body  of  the 
centre  of  the  enemy,  composed  of  their  best  troops. 
It  was  on  this  position  of  Hancock  that  Lee  opened 
his  principal  fire  from  his  batteries  of  one  hundred 


IN  THE  CAMPAIGN  WITH  GRANT.  229 

and  fifty  guns.  The  whole  of  the  left  and  of  the 
left  centre  withstood  this  tremendous  cannonading 
with  unflinching  valor,  with  Hancock  at  their  head. 
It  was  toward  the  close  of  this  assault,  that  he,  and 
General  Gibbon,  temporarily  commanding  the  Second 
Corps,  received  their  severe  wounds. 

It  is  not  surprising,  in  view  of  such  facts  as  these 
and  others  like  them  in  the  history  of  General  HAN 
COCK,  that  he  should  be  assigned  to  an  active  position 
at  the  front  by  so  justly  distinguished  a  man  as  Lieu 
tenant  General  GKANT.  Neither  is  it  to  be  wondered 
at  that  he  should  have  filled  his  post  so  well  in  the 
last  campaign  for  the  conquest  of  Eichmond. 

His  first  battle  under  Grant  was  that  fought  in  the 
"Wilderness.  This  action  took  place  on  the  5th  of 
May.  The  scenes  connected  with  it  are  among  the 
most  exciting  of  any  in  military  history. 

Our  troops  had  gone  forward  to  the  fight  with  an 
ardor  that  was  truly  irrepressible. 

"Hark!  I  hear  the  tramp  of  thousands, 

And  of  arrne'd  men  the  hum : 
Lo !  a  nation's  hosts  have  gathered 
Round  the  quick  alarming  drum. 
Saying,  *  Come, 
Freemen,  come, 
Ere  your  heritage  be  wasted !' 

Said  the  quick  alarming  drum." 

The  scene  of  war  was  reached  in  a  few  hours'  rapid 
20 


230  WINFIELD,   THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

marching.  The  battle  began  on  the  5th  of  May.  On 
placing  his  troops  in  the  field,  Hancock  found  a  strong 
force  of  the  enemy  massed  against  him.  He  im 
mediately  commenced  the  attack. 

The  spirits  of  the  men  were  \vorthy  at  that  mo 
mentous  hour  of  their  cause  and  their  commander. 
The  country  around  has  been  already  described  as 
among  the  wildest  parts  of  one  of  the  wastes  of  Vir 
ginia.  Its  surface  is  thickly  dotted  with  densely 
wooded  hills,  interspersed  with  marshy  lowlands,  and 
sandy  desert  plains.  It  was  settled  as  long  ago  as 
1675,  the  county  bearing  the  name  of  Old  Stafford, 
in  England.  It  is  separated  from  the  adjoining  State 
of  Maryland  by  the  Potomac  river,  and  supplied 
mainly  by  the  Rappahannock. 

Into  this  well-named  Wilderness  Hancock  marched 
his  patriot  men,  and  pitched  battle  against  the  ene 
mies  of  our  country.  At  the  first  attack  the  enemy 
fell  back ;  but,  adopting  their  familiar  Napoleonic 
tactics,  they  soon  after  massed  their  forces,  and  made 
a  combined  furious  attempt  to  break  our  main  centre, 
directly  between  the  Second  Corps,  under  Hancock, 
and  the  Fifth,  under  Warren.  It  was  all  in  vain. 
They  were  hurled  back  in  confusion. 

On  the  following  Thursday  the  battle  was  resumed 
with  new  vigor.  Hancock  occupied  the  extreme  left 


Z2V  THE  WILDERNESS.  231 

wing,  with  a  cavalry  support  resting  on  a  point  be 
tween  Parker's  Store  and  Shady  Grove  Church. 

The  attack  was  commenced  by  the  rebels  on  Fri 
day  morning,  Longstreet  striking  with  all  his  might 
at  Hancock.  -  They  had  fought  together,  before,  in 
Mexico.  The  Second  Corps  bore  their  brunt  of  the 
battle  with  all  their  wonted  steadiness.  The  General 
was  at  every  post  where  his  presence  was  needed, 
cheering  on  his  men,  standing,  at  times,  like  a  pri 
vate  in  the  ranks,  and  aiding  to  hurl  back  the  surg 
ing  columns  of  the  foe  thrown  so  furiously  against 
him.  Every  inch  of  the  desperate  assault  was  con 
tested  along  the  whole  line,  and,  by  a  wise  combi 
nation  of  forces,  the  order  of  battle  was  maintained, 
and  the  enemy  repulsed,  with  great  slaughter. 

The  part  taken  by  the  Corps  of  Hancock  is  well 
attested  by  the  number  of  its  slain  and  wounded,  in 
officers  and  men.  Among  the  former  were  General 
Hays,  commander  of  the  Second  Brigade,  Third 
Division,  who  fell  mortally  wounded  on  that  bloody 
field  of  glory ;  and  Getty,  Gregg,  Owen,  Bartlett,  and 
Carroll,  were  wounded.  While  in  the  act  of  rallying 
his  men,  in  the  front  of  the  battle,  Hancock  was 
again  wounded,  but  maintained  his  position  on  the 
field.  The  enemy  rushed  upon  him  in  solid  masses, 
line  sweeping  on  behind  line.  Some  portions  of  the 


232  WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

ground  on  his  front  were  fought  over  four  or  five 
times  in  succession. 

The  arrival  of  reinforcements,  under  Burnside, 
With  the  Ninth  Corps,  was  most  opportune.  His  ap- 
'pearance  was  loudly  cheered  by  the  brave  men  who 
tad  so  nobly  met  and  overcome  the  enemy.  His 
colored  troops  rendered  effective  service  in  guarding 
exposed  points,  while  'the  great  body  of  his  men  par 
ticipated  with  signal  success  in  the  severe  battle  of 
Friday. 

Our  cavalry,  under  Ouster,  Gregg,  Merritt,  Davis, 
and  others  equally  deserving  of  mention  if  their 
names  were  at  command,  pursued  the  retreating 
columns  of  Lee.  The  battle  became  general  toward 
the  close  of  Saturday,  in  which  we  held  our  own 
against  considerable  odds,  and,  at  certain  points,  con- 
tinued  to  drive  the  enemy. 

Hancock  pushed  forward  his  advance.  On  the 
ensuing  Sunday  he  reached  Alsop's  farm,  where  a 
severe  engagement  ensued.  In  the  evening,  as  the 
result  of  this  battle,  Grant  advanced  his  entire  lines 
—  Hancock  on  the  right.  The  forward  movement 
brought  us  into  a  position  for  the  employment  of  our 
guns,  and  on  Monday  ensued  that  sharp  artillery  con 
flict  in  which  the  brave  and  accomplished  Sedgwick 


IN  THE  WILDERNESS.  233 

fell  in  his  ramparts,  while  personally  engaged  in  the 
location  of  his  cannon. 

The  ensuing  Tuesday,  May  10th,  witnessed  a  ter 
rific  battle.  Our  troops  were  still  advancing,  driving 
the  enemy  before  them,  turning  their  flanks  at  every 
point,  and  convincing  them,  if  they  needed  any  con 
victions  on  that  subject,  that  one  patriot  was  at  least 
equal  to  one  traitor.  The  old  and  idle  boast  that  the 
South  could  whip  us,  at  the  rate  of  one  man  to  our 
four,  faded  away  in  those  sanguinary  fields  of  Vir 
ginia,  like  the  dissolving  views  of  an  illusory  pic 
ture.  Never  was  a  man  more  taken  by  surprise  than 
Lee.  He  found  to  his  severe  cost  that 

"  The  best  laid  schemes  o*  mice  and  men 
Gang  aft  a-gley." 

He  schemed  for  the  massing  of  his  legions  on  our 
weak  points;  hoping,  with  his  infuriate  charges,  to 
break  our  lines,  and  sweep  everything  before  him. 
But  he  found  Grant  fully  prepared  for  him,  on  all 
hands.  That  brave  General  and  consummate  strate 
gist  was  ready  to  meet  mass  with  mass,  strategy  with 
strategy,  battle  with  battle,  until,  outflanked  and  out- 
generalled,  the  wily  Lee  was  forced  sullenly  to 
retreat. 

Hancock,  on  the  extreme  right  wing,  was  in  exactly 
the  position  to  guard  against  every  cunning  device 
20* 


23-i  W1NFIELD,  THE  LAWYERS  SON. 

«. 

of  the  enemy ;  and,  by  his  coolness,  watchfulness,  and 
courage,  to  prevent  every  attack  on  the  flank  that 
Lee  might  attempt.  This  was  one  of  the  favorite 
movements  of  the  vigorous  Southern  strategist,  and 
one  upon  which  he  often  relied  to  compensate  for 
any  deficiency  of  numbers  in  his  own  ranks  ;  but  he 
here  met  his  match,  for  Hancock  checked  him  in 
several  hard-fought  battles  at  these  points,  and,  in 
every  instance,  had  the  pleasure  to  join  with  his  com 
patriots,  Warren  and  Burnside,  in  compelling  the 
daring  soldier  to  fall  back  still  further  to  the  rear. 

On  Thursday,  the  12th  of  May,  he  made  that  splen 
did  dash,  which  resulted  in  the  capture  of  an  entire 
division  of  the  enemy,  four  thousand  strong,  two 
Major-Generals,  a  large  number  of  colors,  and  thirty 
cannon. 

It  was  on  this  occasion  that  a  personal  interview 
took  place  between  HANCOCK  and  the  captive  Major- 
Generals  George  H.  Stuart  and  Ed.  Johnson,  in  the 
tent  of  the  conqueror.  The  gentlemen  had  known 
each  other  in  former  years.  They  had  been  cadets 
together  at  West  Point,  and  fellow  officers  in  the 
Army  of  the  United  States. 

As  both  the  prisoner-Generals  entered  the  tent  of 
Hancock,  the  following  dialogue  ensued : 


INTERVIEW  WITH  GENERALS.  235 

Hancock. — "Ah!  Johnson!  Is  it  you?  Let  us 
shake  hands." 

Johnson. — "  Hancock  !  this  is  dreadful."  Accept 
ing  the  hand  so  courteously  proffered  him,  he  burst 
into  tears,  and  added : 

"I  should  have  much  preferred  death  to  captivity." 

Hancock. — "  I  sympathize  with  you,  Johnson  ;  but 
such,  you  know,  is  sometimes  the  fortune  of  war. 
You  have  fought  well,  and  have  no  reason  to  feel 
personally  disgraced.  It  might  have  been  my  lot  to 
be  your  prisoner." 

Johnson. — "  I  know  that ;  but  to  be  taken  in  such 
a  wholesale  manner  is  hard  to  bear.  It  is  rough." 

Hancock. — "  You  know  you  will  be  treated  like  a 
gentleman,  Johnson  ;  and  held  under  the  laws  of  war, 
with  which  you  are  familiar." 

During  this  conversation  Stuart  was  moving  nerv 
ously  around,  his  countenance  the  picture  of  dejection 
and  chagrin. 

Hancock,  who  had  s6ught  to  speak  with  him  be 
fore,  now  approached  him,  with  his  hand  extended. 

Hancock. — "  How  are  you,  Stuart  ?" 

Stuart. — "I  am  General  Stuart,  sir!  of  the  Army 
of  the  Confederate  States." 

Hancock. — "I  am  well  aware  of  that,  General;  but 


236  WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

I  think  I  can  venture  to  address  you  as  an  acquaint 
ance  of  other  days." 

Stuart. — "Under  present  circumstances,  sir,  I  de 
cline  to  take  your  hand." 

Hancock. — 0 !  very  well,  sir !  you  can  suit  yourself 
in  that  matter ;  and,  as  my  prisoner,  you  will  certainly 
suit  me. 

Under  any  other  circumstances,  sir,  I  should  not 
have  offered  you  my  hand  !" 

The  chop -fallen  look  of  Stuart  at  this  instant  can 
be  better  imagined  than  described.  Whatever  his 
feelings  may  have  been  under  the  courteous  rebuke, 
all  who  witnessed  it  felt  that  Hancock  was  as  cutting 
with  the  edge  of  his  satire  as  he  is  with  that  of  his 
victorious  sword.  He  had  beaten  his  prisoner  with 
valor  in  the  field,  and  he  now  conquered  him  again 
with  gentlemanly  bearing. 

It  was  with  an  increased  relish  for  his  patriotic 
duties  in  the  field  that,  after  this  interview,  Hancock 
resumed  his  position  in  the  ensuing  fight.  All  day 
Thursday,  and  from  sundown  until  near  daylight  of 
Friday  morning,  he  was  in  action.  He  shared  in  the 
contest  for  a  long  line  of  rebel  rifle-pits,  in  front, 
which  he  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  wrested  from 
the  hands  of  the  enemy. 

The  signal  victories  won  in  the  Wilderness  are 


IN  CONCERT  WITH  THE  CAVALRY.          237 

largely  attributable  to  tlie  cavalry  arm  of  the  service. 
Although  an  infantry  officer  by  position,  Hancock 
had  repeatedly  tested,  in  the  vigorous  practice  at  West 
Point,  and  in  several  of  the  fields  of  action  iii  which 
he  had  engaged,  the  efficiency  of  this  arm,  especially 
in  great  strategic  movements.  He  was  much  indebted 
to  it  for  his  commanding  positions  at  the  front.  By 
their  rapid  evolutions  in  the  face  of  the  enemy,  by 
dashing  along  by-paths  and  through  forests  and  jun 
gles,  not  accessible  to  infantry  or  artillery,  they  pre 
pared  the  way  for  those  steady  advances  and  vigorous 
assaults  that  have  rendered  the  Union  armies  so  famous 
in  the  annals  of  American  military  history. 

Nor  this  alone.  Our  cavalry  have  not  only  con 
tributed  largely  to  every  success,  by  concerted  action, 
but  they  have  made  numerous  independent  move 
ments — especially  in  the  vicinity  of  Eichmond,  and 
in  the  brilliant  campaign  in  the  Valley  of  the  She- 
nandoah,  in  1864  under  that  splendid  cavalry  officer, 
General  PHILIP  SHEKIDAN — that  have  won  them  im 
perishable  honor. 

Cheers  for  the  Union  cavalry  1 


CHAPTER   XXVI 

General  Hancock  in  the  Advanced  Front  in  Spottsylvania — Another 
Glorious  Charge  and  Another  Brilliant  Victory  to  add  to  his  NobU 
Record. 

ON  the  18th  of  May,  1864,  the  order  came  from 
the   Lieutenant-General,  through    his   efficient 
associate  in  command,  General  MEADE,  for  the  entire 
line  of  battle  to  be  advanced  to  Spottsylvania  Court 
House,  Virginia. 

At  this  important  strategic  point  the  enemy  had 
thrown  up  strong  entrenchments.  Here  Lee  waited 
in  grim  determination  a  direct  attack  on  his  front. 
We  shall  see,  as  we  progress,  that  he  was  doomed  to 
meet  now  one  of  the  first  of  the  series  of  those  bitter 
disappointments  that  mark  his  last  luckless  campaign 
in  the  Old  Dominion  His  hidden  purpose  was  so  to 
entrench  himself  in  the  path  he  supposed  we  would 
inevitably  take,  so  to  lie  in  ambush  behind  embank 
ments  that  could  not  be  enfiladed,  that,  when  our  men 

(238) 


AT  SPOTTSYLVANIA.  239 

were  thrown  against  his  impregnable  works,  we 
should  be  so  decimated  before  his  secreted  and  pro 
tected  cannon  and  rifles,  that  we  should  be  driven 
back,  defeated,  from  exhaustion  of  strength.  Vain 
and  impotent  conclusion  !  He  had  not  calculated  on 
the  stern  valor,  on  the  persistent  energy,  on  the  skil 
ful  and  well -practiced  strategy  now  in  the  field  for 
that  glorious  Union  of  States  he  was  so  daringly 
aiming  to  destroy.  He  had  forgotten,  apparently, 
what,  of  all  other  men,  he,  from  his  long  practice, 
should  have  remembered,  that  powerful  flank  move 
ments  constitute  a  game  of  war,  at  which  at  least  two 
accomplished  commanders  can  play. 

Grant  immediately  determined,  as  he  approached 
Spottsylvania,  to  turn  the  right  of  Lee,  attack  him  in 
the  rear,  and  thus  force  his  further  retreat  upon  his 
final  base,  Eichmond. 

The  fighting  on  Thursday  and  Friday  of  this  week 
was  very  severe.  The  lines  of  Hancock,  being  then 
far  in  the  front,  were  repeatedly  attacked  by  the 
enemy,  and  as  often  repulsed.  The  division  of  his 
Corps  commanded  by  General  Seymour  was  exposed 
to  a  heavy  fire,  and  suffered  considerably.  But  the 
enemy  were  handled  witn  still  greater  severity,  and 
again  compelled  to  retreat,  leaving  their  dead  and 
wounded  in  our  hands.  The  iron  old  Second  Corps 


240  W1NFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

nobly  stood  its  ground,  at  every  point,  under  the  im 
mediate  lead  of  HANCOCK,  who  was  vigilant  and 
active,  as  usual,  in  all  parts  of  the  field.  He  was 
again  wounded  in  this  action,  but  kept  his  position 
at  the  post  of  duty. 

On  Saturday  the  Second  Corps  again  advanced 
beyond  the  Wilderness  Tavern,  and  formed  line  of 
battle  against  the  enemy  at  Spottsylvania  Court 
House.  At  daylight  he  passed  through  this  strategic 
point,  and  found  the  enemy  entrenched  a  short  dis 
tance  beyond.  Heavy  skirmishing  was  immediately 
commenced,  and  by  Sunday  morning  the  whole  army 
of  Grant  was  in  vigorous  pursuit  of  Lee.  The  proof 
that  we  held  the  field  was  shown  in  the  fact  that  we 
now  occupied  Fredericksburg  as  a  depot  for  our 
wounded,  and  a  base  of  supplies.  Our  headquarters 
at  the  noon  of  Sunday  were  twenty  miles  south  of 
the  previous  battle-field. 

The  stand  made  by  Lee  in  the  vicinity  of  Spottsyl 
vania  was  a  strong  one.  But  he  was  not  permitted 
to  hold  it  long.  SEDGWICK,  WADS  WORTH,  and  other 
brave  soldiers,  had  fallen ;  but  our  army  of  kindred 
heroes  pushed  gallantly  on,  compelling  Lee  to  retreat 
to  the  banks  of  the  North  Anna  river. 

At  this  point  another  severe  battle  was  fought. 
The  right  of  the  enemy  was  crushed.  Three  brigades 


AT  SPOTTSTLVANIA. 

and  four  guns  were  captured.  Hancock  crossed  the 
Kiver  Po,  under  a  tremendous  enfilading  fire,  driv 
ing  the  enemy  before  him,  and  establishing  himself 
on  the  south  bank.  The  possession  of  Spottsylvania, 
after  a  hotly  contested  fight,  carried  us  out  of  the 
Wilderness ;  although,  in  retreating,  in  consequence 
of  their  greater  familiarity  with  the  broken  and  wild 
country,  the  enemy  had  the  advantage  of  us.  By 
the  necessities  of  the  position,  we  could  not  drive  on 
as  fast  as  the  foe  could  be  driven.  Hancock,  holding 
the  extreme  right  of  our  line,  took  possession  of  the 
Block-House  road,  and  thus  prepared  the  way  for  the 
continued  advance  of  the  main  army.  Breastworks 
were  thrown  up  by  his  men,  and  every  disposition 
made  for  any  attack  the  enemy  might  make.  But 
they  prudently  abstained  from  all  assaults  at  this 
point.  One  after  another  their  wild  yells  died  away; 
and  it  soon  became  evident  that  sullenness  and  des 
pondency  reigned  among  them.  Hancock  had  added 
another  line  to  his  entrenchments  in  the  open  ground 
contiguous  to  Todd's  Tavern,  a  portion  of  his  heavy 
artillery  working  all  night  to  accomplish  the  feat. 
The  sight  of  these  brave  cannoniers  thus  at  work  for 
their  country  is  described  by  one  who  witnessed  it 
as  extremely  picturesque.  The  lanterns  of  the  armed 
workmen  hung  in  festoons  from  the  wild  cherry  trees, 
21  Q 


242  WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

flashing  their  lights  among  the  May  blossoms  of  the 
branches.  The  batteries  were  harnessed  up  among 
the  patriot  diggers,  who  laid  aside  their  pickaxes  and 
spades  occasionally  to  look  to  their  guns  and  bayonets. 
Thus  passed  the  watchful  night  of  war.  As  the  sun 
rose  scouts  reported  the  enemy  still  in  front,  but  in 
small  force;  and  at  noon  Hancock  had  agp.in  ad 
vanced  and  taken  possession  of  his  new  field. 

A  light-horse  battery  of  the  enemy,  on  the  ap 
proach  of  our  troops  at  a  brisk  charge,  quickly 
limbered  up,  and  posted  off  in  hot  haste.  It  was  well 
for  them  that  they  did.  A  lively  engagement  ensued, 
during  which  the  enemy  made  the  best  use  in  their 
power  of  a  secreted  position  they  held  in  an  adjacent 
wood.  They  dared  not  meet  us  there  in  the  open 
field.  Some  of  them  who  ventured  out  were  taken 
prisoners,  and  in  other  parts  of  the  battle  ground 
considerable  supplies  and  munitions  of  war  were 
captured. 

The  marching  of  HANCOCK  to  form  a  junction  with 
Sedgwick  and  Warren  had  been  well  done.  He 
moved  in  line  of  battle  by  the  left  flank  to  mass, 
fighting  every  foot  of  the  way  against  an  entrenched 
enemy,  who  was  determined,  at  all  hazards,  to  pre 
vent  the  strategic  movement  of  our  General.  Every 
position  that  he  took  he  obstinately  held,  completely 


A T  SPOTTSYL VANIA.  24S 

foiling  the  enemy,  and  effecting  his  junction  at  the 
desired  time  and  designated  place.  The  great  object 
was  attained  by  the  exertion  of  his  utmost  skill  and 
vigor.  The  part  he  had  to  perform  was  realized  by 
him,  and  all,  to  be  a  severe  one ;  but  ably,  bravely, 
successfully  he  performed  it.  He  took  the  whole  line 
of  rifle  pits  at  a  most  critical  moment,  and  five  stands 
of  colors.  It  is  admitted  that  his  heroism  and  skill 
in  these  preliminary  engagements  did  much  toward 
saving  our  army. 

By  his  passage  of  the  Po  HANCOCK  secured  a 
coigne  of  vantage  over  the  enemy.  He  enfiladed 
the  entire  position,  commanding  their  roads,  on 
which  their  trains  were  passing.  It  was  a  bold 
move,  but  like  the  dashing  character  he  had  so  nobly 
won.  His  two  divisions  thrown  over  the  river  con 
nected  with  the  right  of  WARREN.  By  this  junction 
the  enemy  were  driven  from  their  coverts  in  the 
woods,  where  we  had  been  exposed  to  some  damage 
from  their  shells.  A  general  attack  followed  along 
the  entire  line,  continuing  for  several  hours.  The 
enemy  could  not  withstand  our  charge,  but  fell  back 
in  confusion,  leaving  a  large  number  of  killed, 
wounded,  and  prisoners,  on  the  field. 

Early  in  the  morning  of  the  12th  of  May,  fighting 
was  resumed  by  HANCOCK.  In  one  of  his  brilliant 


244  W1NFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

charges,  for  which  he  has  become  so  justly  famous, 
he  dashed  on  the  division  of  Hill,  planted  in  its  en 
trenchments,  five  miles  below  Spottsylvania  Court 
House.  At  the  head  of  his  gallant  Corps,  fired  with 
the  energy  peculiar  to  him,  he  charged  on  the  foe  at 
the  double  quick.  His  appearance  on  this  occasion 
is  described  as  the  impersonation  of  the  heroism  of 
war.  Cheering  his  men  as  he  placed  himself  at  their 
head,  receiving  -their  cheers  in  return  with  the  wav 
ing  of  his  sword,  he  gave  the  word  "  Charge  1"  with 
a>  shout  that  rang  along  the  lines  like  the  clangor 
of  a  trumpet.  The  steady  columns  swept  onward  at 
that  familiar  word,  and  followed  their  great  com 
mander  into  the  very  centre  of  the  breaking  lines  of 
the  enemy.  They  wavered,  staggered,  fell  back,  step 
by  step ;  then  broke  into  a  confused  mass,  and  fled 
in  all  directions.  Colors  struck  the  ground,  horses 
tumbled  headlong  in  the  wreck,  shattered  cannon 
ploughed  the  reeking  earth,  bayonets  crossed  in  wild, 
discordant  clatter,  heaps  of  confused  bodies  strewed 
the  crimson  grass  on  every  side-  while  over  all, 
louder  than  the  roar  of  guns,  amid  the  advancing 
standards  of  the  Union,  all  unfurled  and  flapping  in 
the  smoky  air,  rose  on  high  the  shout  —  "  Victory  1" 
"  Victory !" 
As  our  columns  dashed  over  the  field,  HANCOCK 


AT  SPOTTSYLVANIA.  245 

still  at  their  head,  the  prisoners  and  trophies  of  war 
were  gathered  around  him.  They  numbered  three 
thousand  men, — among  whom  were  one  Major  Gene 
ral,  two  Brigadier  Generals,  fifty  officers,  and  twelve 
pieces  of  artillery. 

The  result  of  the  battle  was  a  flag  of  truce  from 
,  Lee,  and  the  capture  of  despatches,  in  which  he  con 
fessed  that  he  was  short  of  supplies.     It  was  evident 
that  he  must  fall  back  on  Eichmond,  as  his  final  base. 

The  valor  of  HANCOCK  in  this  splendid  engage 
ment  has  been  well,  characterised  as  sublime.  He 
placed  himself  at  the  head  of  his  entire  Corps  ;  every 
division,  every  brigade,  every  regiment,  being  under 
his  eagle  eye.  •  His  orders  were  his  own,  from  first 
to  last.  Every  movement  was  his,  from  the  begin 
ning  to  the  close  of  the  fight.  His  presence  was 
seen,  heard,  and  felt,  in  all  parts  of  the  field;  until 
the  enthusiasm  of  his  men,  as  they  rushed  eagerly 
on  the  enemies  of  their  land,  knew  no  bounds.  His 
associates  in  command  rallied  around  him  with  a 
readiness  that  never  wavered,  a  skill  that  never  failed, 
a  courage  that  never  faltered.  The  whole  mass 
moved  together,  like  a  terrific  engine  of  war  in  the 
grasp  of  one  strong  hand,  and  controlled  by  the  will 
of  one  gifted  mind.  What  wonder  that  he  achieved 
so  glorious  a  victory  ? 
21* 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

bee  Falls  back  before  the  Advance  of  the  Second  Army  Corps  —  Ewel\ 
and  Longstreet  Retreat  as  Hancock  nears  them  —  Only  Fourteen 
Miles  from  Richmond  —  On  the  Banks  of  the  Pamunkey  —  A  Mid 
night  Assault  Repulsed. 


TJHE  pursuit  of  the  retreating  army  of  Lee  was 
made  with  as  much  rapidity  as  an  unfavorable 
change  in  the  roads  would  permit.  HANCOCK,  still 
again  in  the  advance,  had  accomplished  the  feat,  de 
scribed  in  another  chapter,  which  resulted  in  the  cap 
ture  of  Major  Generals  Edward  Johnson  and  George 
H.  Stuart,  and  a  large  portion  of  their  commands. 

The  fatigue  of  our  army  was  great,  and  the  line 
of  march  was  much  impeded  by  a  fall  of  rain  of 
thirty-six  hours'  duration.  The  glorious  success  of 
HANrocK  had  inspired  all  hearts,  and  the  resolution 
to  achieve  new  victories  over  the  galled  and  retreat 
ing  rebels  was  instantly  formed.  As  the  rain  ceased 
and  the  sun  broke  forth  on  the  day  that  witnessed 

(246) 


ACE  OSS  THE  RIVER  PO.  247 

the  close,  of  the  last  splendid  achievements  of  the 
Wilderness,  the  order  to  advance  again  was  obeyed 
with  alacrity.  Our  men  were  in  high  spirits,  and 
impatient  to  meet  the  foe  in  any  field  he  might 
choose. 

The  characteristic  despatch  of  HANCOCK  to  Lieu 
tenant  General  GRANT,  includes,  in  a  few  words,  the 
progress  thus  far  made : 

"HEADQUARTERS  SECOND  CORPS,  May  12th,  '64. 
"GENERAL:  I  have  captured  from  thirty  to  forty  guns.     I  hav« 
finished  up  Johnson,  and  am  now  going  into  Early. 

W.  S.  HANCOCK." 

Thirteen  of  the  captured  guns  were  brought  to 
General  GRANT'S  headquarters.  The  remainder  were 
placed  at  different  points  in  our  rear. 

At  daylight  of  the  morning  of  this  attack  the 
brigade  of  General  BARLOW,  of  HANCOCK'S  Corps, 
appeared  like  a  war  apparition  before  the  enemy. 
They  had  advanced  and  steadily  driven  the  enemy; 
and,  before  they  were  aware  of  it,  had  reached  their 
entrenchments,  directly  in  front.  "With  a  dash  they 
charged  on  the  works,  swept  over  them,  and,  before 
their  foes  had  time  to  fire  a  gun,  captured  the  whole 
command.  The  enemy  were  compelled  to  surrender 
by  the  butts  of  the  muskets  in  the  hands  of  oui 
brave  men. 


248  W1NFIELD,    THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

By  another  advance  of  HANCOCK,  on  the  15th  of 
May,  the  fact  was  developed  that  Lee  had  fallen  back 
four  miles.  The  charge  of  General  BIRNEY'S  divi 
sion,  of  the  Second  Corps,  which  aided  materially  to 
produce  this  auspicious  result,  was  one  of  the  most 
splendid  of  any  made  during  the  war.  Every  regi 
ment  in  his  command  covered  itself  with  honor. 
Kebels  were  surprised  in  their  strongholds  in  the 
woods,  and  several  stands  of  colors  captured  from 
them. 

The  two  armies  were  now  on  the  main  road  leading 
from  Fredericksburg  to  Eichmond,  but  the  condition 
of  travelling  rendered  it  impossible  to  make  any 
movement  to  advantage.  Eeinforcements  continued 
to  arrive,  and  the  most  confident  expectations  of  final 
success  were  felt  and  expressed  on  the  Union  side 
The  position  of  Lee  was  still  strong,  and  the  state  of 
the  weather  was  much  in  his  favor.  But  the  indom 
itable  GRANT  was  determined  to  pursue  him.  Rest 
and  recruiting  were  needed  by  our  troops. 

Our  advance,  under  HANCOCK,  possessed  one  of  the 
strongest  keys  of  the  whole  hostile  position,  and  the 
most  desperate  efforts  were  made  by  them  to  regain 
it ;  but  all  in  vain.  He  proved  himself  as  tenacious 
in  holding  his  point  as  he  was  dashing  in  winning  it. 
No  language  can  describe  the  desperate  energy  with 


STILL  ADVANCING.  249 

which  his  troops  had  carried  the  clay.  BAKLOW, 
BIRNEY,  GIBBON,  MOTT,  and  others,  had  won  the 
highest  distinction  on  this  field ;  and  the  men  they 
commanded  were  entitled  to  bear  with  them  their 
imperishable  laurels.  The  breastworks  captured  in 
this  advance  were  very  strong ;  the  ditches  in  front 
were  deep  and  wide  ;  and  the  enemy  defended  their 
position  as  if  they  held  it  to  be  impregnable.  It  was 
reserved  for  HANCOCK  to  undeceive  them. 

Several  important  reconnoissances  followed,  and 
preparations  were  made  for  another  general  advance. 
On  the  18th  of  May  the  roads  had  considerably 
improved,  and  active  operations  were  immediately 
resumed.  Large  reinforcements  had  reached  the 
Union  army,  and  the  spirits  of  the  men  continued 
elastic.  Skirmishing  began  by  BIRNEY'S  division, 
of  HANCOCK'S  Corps,  shell  being  thrown  in  the  con 
tiguous  woods  to  feel  the  position  of  the  enemy. 

Early  in  the  morning  of  this  day  HANCOCK  made 
another  of  his  brilliant  charges,  with  the  most  bene 
ficial  results.  His  attack  was  begun  from  our 
right  wing,  and  was  prosecuted  with  such  vigor 
that  the  enemy  were  forced  back  a  considerable 
distance.  He  carried  their  line  of  entrenchments, 
and  all  attempts  to  dislodge  him  proved  utterly  fu 
tile.  Our  lines  continued  steadily  to  advance.  Lee 


250  WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON". 

was  again  taken  entirely  by  surprise.  He  had  not 
anticipated  and  was  evidently  not  prepared  for  these 
repeated  and  powerful  assaults  on  his  flanks.  While 
our  feints  in  front  with  artillery  completely  deceived 
him,  he  found  us  more  than  a  match  for  him  in  the 
strategy  of  flanking,  and  was  again  compelled  to 
withdraw.  ILvxcocK  had  advanced  successfully  upon 
him,  turned  his  left  flank,  driven  his  sharp-shootera 
out  of  their  rifle-pits,  captured  fifteen  guns,  and  a 
large  body  of  prisoners. 

Not  long  after  this  successful  assault,  the  enemy 
attempted  to  turn  our  right.  But  they  were  promptly 
met  by  the  Heavy  Artillery,  under  that  brave  and 
energetic  officer,  General  TYLEE,  who  \vas  ably  sup 
ported  by  the  division  of  General  BJUXEY,  of  the 
Second  Corps,  and  handsomely  repulsed.  Although 
these  troops  of  TYLEK  were  just  arrived  on  the  field, 
from  garrison  duty  at  Washington,  and  had  never 
been  under  fire  before,  they  conducted  themselves 
with  so  much  steadiness,  managed  their  guns  with 
such  skill,  and  were  handled  in  so  admirable  a  man 
lier  by  their  General,  that  they  kept  the  enemy  at 
bay  until  the  reinforcements  of  BIKXEY  and  CRAW 
FORD  arrived,  and  joined  with  them  to  drive  the 
enemy  from  the  field. 

At  half-past  eleven  o'clock  in  the  night  of  Friday, 


STILL  ADVANCING.  251 

May  20th;  HANCOCK  again  rapidly  advanced,  in  pur 
suit  of  a  portion  of  the  enemy  in  command  of  Long- 
street,  one  of  his  former  fellow  lieutenants  in  the 
A.rmy  of  the  United  States.  His  pursuit  was  as 
.rapid  as  the  condition  of  the  roads  would  permit,  and 
soon  developed  the  fact  that  the  enemy  had  retreated 
beyond  the  North  Anna  river.  HANCOCK,  on  the 
extreme  left,  had  driven  them  from  the  entrenchments 
they  occupied  previous  to  this  advance.  The  Second 
Corps,  under  cover  of  night,  had  bivouacked  within 
the  breastworks  from  which  they  had  previously 
captured  their  prisoners.  The  veterans  had  used 
their  bayonets  with  such  effect  that  the  field  of  their 
march  was  like  a  review.  They  were  again  in  the 
vanguard,  with  HANCOCK  at  their  head.  Marching 
on  the  road  parallel  with  the  river  Ny,  the  troops 
continued  to  advance  southward,  still  pursuing  the 
retreating  foe.  By  daylight  of  the  21st  they  reached 
Guinea's  Station,  on  the  Fredericksburg  and  Kich- 
mond  railroad ;  from  thence  pushing  onward,  until 
by  nightfall  the  head  of  the  column  had  reached 
Bowling  Green. 

The  effect  of  this  movement  was  to  turn  the  right 
flank  of  Lee,  and  compel  him  to  retreat  still  again, 
to  find  his  hiding  places  on  the  banks  of  the  South 
Anna. 


252  WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

At  the  position  attacked  by  HANCOCK  the 
had  thrown  up  strong  entrenchments.  They  were  in 
considerable  force  at  the  point  where  he  had  crossed, 
and  made  a  determined  resistance.  But  his  pertina 
cious  courage  and  skill  overcame  them,  and  they, 
were  compelled  to  flee.  Before  dark  of  the  day  of 
his  attack  he  had  forced  them  out  of  their  works,  and 
driven  them  across  the  stream. 

WARREN  and  BURNSIDE  were  on  the  same  line 
with  HANCOCK,  and  their  two  Corps,  the  Fifth  and 
Ninth,  won  equal  distinctions  with  the  Second,  on 
that  gallant  onward  march  into  the  heart  of  the 
enemy's  country. 

The  divisions  of  BARLOW,  BIRNEY  and  GIBBON,  in 
the  Second  Corps,  were  close  on  the  heels  of  the  flee 
ing  enemy  at. the  North  Anna.  Skirmishing  began 
on  the  front  of  BIRNEY'S  division,  and  soon  became 
general  along  the  entire  line.  At  this  point  HAN 
COCK  ordered  BIRXEY  to  charge  the  enemy.  It  was 
done,  in  most  splendid  style.  The  works  were  car 
ried,  the  bridge  taken,  the  enemy  driven  in  confusion, 
and  our  guns  placed  so  as  to  command  the  position. 

The  gallant  conduct  of  that  division  on  this  occa 
sion  drew  forth  warm  praises  from  General  HANCOCK. 
He  complimented  it  on  the  field  in  the  most  cordial 


STILL  ADVANCING.  253 

manner,  and  was  himself  received  with  enthusiastic 
cheers  by  the  troops. 

Over  a  thousand  prisoners  were  captured  by  this 
combined  advance. 

The  position  now  assumed  by  Lee  was  one  of  the 
strongest  he  could  obtain.  He  had  not  yet  crossed 
the  South  Anna,  but  was  entrenched  between  that 
and  the  North  Anna.  But  he  soon  found  the  differ 
ence  between  his  stand  here,  in  these  comparatively 
low  and  open  lands  of  Virginia,  and  that  he  had 
made  on  the  heights  of  Frederick sburg.  He  could 
no  longer  hide  himself  to  advantage,  but  was  com 
pelled  to  the  onset  of  a  fair  field. 

At  this  point  he  concentrated  all  his  available 
force,  and  was  evidently  prepared  for  a  stubborn 
defence. 

GEANT,  on  the  other  hand,  was  by  no  means  idle. 
It  is  well  known  that  it  is  not  his  nature  to  be,  on  all 
such  occasions.  He  gathered  his  army  more  closely 
in  hand,  adding  to  his  regular  force  the  independent 
command  of  General  BUENSIDE,  known  as  the  Ninth 
Corps.  As  the  Lieutenant  General,  in  supreme  com 
mand  of  the  field,  he  had  made  his  dispositions  with 
SHERMAN,  BUTLEE,  CANBY,  HUNTEE,  SHEEIDAN,  and 
others,  and  was  now  prepared  for  such  an  advance 

as  would  be  sure  to  intercept  the  retreat  of  Lee. 
22      ' 


254  WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYERS  SON. 

From  their  base  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Kapidan, 
the  enemy  had  been  driven  a  distance  of  over  fifty 
miles.  Through  all  this  long  march  of  pursuit  the 
Union  army  had  fought  its  way  in  triumph.  At 
every  point  the  commanders  had  vied  with  each  other 
in  the  meritorious  discharge  of  their  nigh  duties. 
Our  province  is  to  speak,  especially,  of  HANCOCK  ; 
but  in  depicting  his  valiant  deeds  we  are  not  to  be 
understood  as  undervaluing  those  of  other  equally 
brave  men.  We  should  be  happy  to  describe  them, 
too,  did  the  limits  of  our  volume  allow  us. 

It  is  the  position  of  HANCOCK  at  the  front,  in  this 
memorable  and  triumphant  march,  and  the  signal 
manner  in  which  he  discharged  the  high  responsi 
bilities  laid  upon  him,  that  demand  the  narration  of 
his  heroic  deeds;  that  make  the  task  of  recording 
them  so  agreeable,  and  that  cause  the  lesson  taught 
by  this  part  of  his  life  to  be  so  instructive. 

The  advance  of  the  Second  Corps,  under  HANCOCK, 
was  one  of  the  signals  of  the  retreat  of  that  part  of 
the  enemy  immediately  on  his  front.  Ewell  and 
Longstreet,  who  were  in  that  position,  had  heard 
from  him  before,  at  Gettysburg.  AYhen  he  moved, 
therefore,  both  these  distinguished  Confederates  with 
drew. 

At  the  passage  of  the  North  Anna,  while  the  Corp? 


STILL  ADVANCING.  255 

of  WARREN  crossed  with  but  little  opposition,  that 
of  HANCOCK  encountered  a  severe  fight.  He  met 
the  enemy  at  Chesterfield  bridge,  where  strong  works 
had  been  thrown  up;  in  a  commanding  position. 
These  had  all  to  be  carried,  and  then  the  obstacle  of 
an  intervening  creek  overcome,  ere  he  could  plant 
his  colors  on  the  opposite  bank.  Gorges  and  ditches 
were  immediately  on  his  front ;  rifle  pits  and  frown 
ing  embankments  beyond. 

For  the  conquest  of  these  difficult  points  the 
division  of  General  BIRNEY  was  detailed ;  and  nobly 
did  he  perform  the  task  assigned  him.  With  GIB 
BON  on  his  left,  BARLOW  on  his  right,  and  supported 
in  the  rear  by  TYLER'S  splendid  Heavy  Artillery,  he 
marched  to  the  attack.  The  open  space  in  front  was 
.swept  over  by  his  men  at  double  quick,  under  a  ter 
rific  fire  of  infantry  and  artillery;  they  reached  the 
redans  without  a  pause,  and  drove  out  the  enemy  at 
the  point  of  the  bayonet. 

The  enemy  were  thunderstruck  at  this  unexpected 
and  rapid  movement,  and  large  bodies  of  them  fled 
headlong  in  dismay.  The  whole  Corps  of  HANCOCK 
immediately  massed,  and  held  the  head  of  the  bridge 
until  the  time  came  for  a  still  further  advance,  and 
preparations  were  completed  for  the  capture  of  the 
rifle-pits  and  entrenchments  in  front. 


256  WIN  FIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

GRANT  immediately  executed  another  flank  move 
ment.  The  position  of  Lee  was  such  that  to  attack 
his  front,  at  a  disadvantage,  would  cause  an  unneces 
sary  loss  of  life,  while,  by  flanking  him,  he  could 
compel  his  further  retreat.  The  movement  by  flank 
was  executed  with  such  skill,  secrecy,  and  rapidity, 
that  it  was  all  accomplished  before  Lee  was  aware 
that  GRANT  had  thought  of  it.  The  South  Anna, 
with  all  its  grim  array  of  embankments,  its  rifle  pits, 
its  hidden  ambuscades,  was  left  to  frown  in  its  soli 
tary  neglect,  while  the  victorious  army  of  the  Union 
marched  steadily  on.  By  Sunday,  the  29th  of  May, 
it  had  swung  around  its  base,  and  on  the  morning 
of  Monday,  the  30th,  occupied  a  new  field,  in  the 
region  of  the  Pamunkey  river. 

This  was  a  most  disagreeable  surprise  to  Lee.  -  He 
had  calculated  on  our  throwing  ourselves,  over  broken 
plains,  and  through  miry  morasses,  on  his  strong 
earthworks,  which  he  had  taken  the  trouble  to  build 
directly  in  the  way  he  desired  us  to  take.  How 
could  the  Lieutenant  General,  the  stubborn  GRANT, 
be  so  very  disobliging  ?  How  dare  '  he  take  the 
liberty  thus  to  move  his  army  about  at  will,  over  the 
sacred  soil  of  Virginia  ?  Why  did  he  not  consent- 
to  be  led,  as  a  sheep  to  the  slaughter,  in  the  com 
modious  pens  he  had  been  so  kind  as  to  construct  on 


STILL  ADVANCING.  257 

the  convenient  banks  of  the  South  Anna  ?  Was  it 
chivalrous  in  him  to  flank  off  from  his  proud  and 
valiant  foe  in  this  secret  manner  ?  Clearly  not.  Th 
whole  thing  was  wrong.  The  movement  was  all 
disgraceful,  cowardly,  mean.  It  was  not  according 
to  Hoyle. 

Be  all  this  as  it  may,  GRANT  did  it;  and  most 
nobly  did  his  great  and  gallant  army  sustain  him  in 
doing  it. 

On  the  morning  of  the  27th  of  May,  at  the  early 
hour  of  four  o'clock,  the  whole  command  had  been 
set  in  motion,  the  glorious  old  Second  Corps  still  in 
the  advance.  The  march  was  made  with  a  celerity 
on  the  part  of  the  men  that  showed  their  hearts  were 
in  the  work  before  them.  Lee  was  outgeneralled 
on  his  own  chosen  ground.  Our  troops  struck  off  in 
a  new  direction,  passing  through  a  region  not  before 
trodden  by  the  feet  of  contending  armies,  during  this 
war  for  the  Union,  in  which  they  found  the  most 
abundant  supplies  of  provisions,  cattle,  and  horses. 

By  the  evening  of  May  30th,  the  whole  army  was 
jafely  across  the  Pamunkey,  the  head  of  the  column 
oeing  within  four  hours  of  the  Confederate  capital. 
The  movement  was  the  most  astonishing  to  Lee  of 
;  >ny  GRANT  had  yet  made.  On  the  first  of  June  we 
occupied  a  front  of  three  miles  on  the  South  bank 

22*  R 


258  WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

of  the  river,  having  had  several  cavalry  engage 
ments  with  the  enemy  in  that  vicinity,  in  all  of  which 
we  drove  them. 

Fighting  was  resumed  on  the  Mechanicsville  road, 
south  of  Totopatamoy  creek,  and  between  that 
stream  arid  Hawes's  Shop.  The  bridges  over  the 
Little  Kiver  and  the  South  Anna  were  destroyed  by 
our  cavalry,  under  WILSON,  and  the  Union  head 
quarters  established  in  the  place  long  before  selected 
by  the  Lieutenant  General. 

General  HANCOCK  made  his  attack  on  the  lines  of 
the. enemy  the  moment  he  received  the  order.  It  was 
toward  evening  of  the  30th  of  May,  and  the  darkness 
soon  set  in.  But  he  pressed  on  to  the  front,  assailed 
the  new  works  the  enemy  had  thrown  up,  and  carried 
them  by  assault.  When  the  morning  broke  over  the 
field,  the  Union  colors  were  seen  floating  from  the 
conquered  ramparts.  This  was  a  strongly  entrenched 
skirmish  line  of  the  enemy,  and  held  by  HANCOCK 
in  the  face  of  a  deadly  fire.  The  distance  from  that 
point  to  Richmond  was  but  fourteen  miles. 

On  the  night  of  the  31st  of  May,  a  desperate  as 
sault  was  made  on  the  lines  of  HANCOCK.  The  sud 
denness  of  the  movement  which  brought  him  to  the 
banks  of  the  Pamunkey,  would  not  allow  him  to  en 
trench  as  much  as  was  desirable.  But  he  was  pre- 


STILL  ADVANCING.  259 

pared  for  the  furious  onslaught,  though  it  came  on 
him  suddenly  and  in  darkness. 

Ilis  brave  hosts  were  rallied  with  a  celerity  and 
skill  that  proved  the  soldierly  qualities  of  the  Gene 
ral,  and  the  enemy  everywhere  repulsed.  They  made 
not  the  slightest  trifle  by  their  midnight  motion.  On 
the  contrary,  it  put  our  men  more  completely  on  the 
alert,  led  to  reinforcements  at  all  weak  points,  and 
made  us  more  than  ever  masters  of  the  field. 

The  fight  was  sharp ;  but  so  signal  a  victory  to  us 
that  it  not  only  drove  off  the  enemy  discomfited,  but 
left  several  hundred  prisoners  in  our  hands.  He 
continued  to  hold  the  rifle-pits  from  which  he  had 
driven  the  enemy  the  previous  evening,  and  was  pre 
pared  to  defend  his  position  at  all  points.  Our  whole 
line  was  immediately  advanced  along  his  front,  and 
by  daylight  the  army  was  so  massed  at  that  position 
as  to  resist  successfully  every  attack. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

On  the  Banks  of  the  Famous  Chickahominy'—  Capture  of  the  Ford 
at  Taylor's  Bridge — Cold  Harbor,  Bottom's  Bridge,  and  the 
James  River — "  On  to  Richmond." 

LEE  was  now  on  the  north  bank  of  the  historic 
Chickahominy.  This  little  stream,  which  occu 
pies  so  prominent  a  place  in  American  military  an 
nals,  is  located  in  the  south-eastern  part  of  Virginia. 
It  rises  in  the  county  of  Hanover,  and  falls  into  the 
York  river,  about  eight  miles  above  Jamestown  — 
one  of  the  oldest  English  settlements  in  America. 
It  divides  Henrico  and  Charles  City  counties  on  the 
right,  from  Hanover,  New  Kent  and  James  City 
counties  on  the  left.  It  has  to  be  approached  and 
.crossed  by  armies  reaching  Eichrnond  from  the  direc 
tion  taken  by  the  army  of  GRANT.  It  is  capable  of 
being  strongly  defended,  and  is  remarkable  for  the 
several  sanguinary  engagements  that  took  place  in 

(260) 


ON  THE  CHICKAHOM1NY.  261 

its  vicinity  between  the  Union   and   rebel   armies 
during  the  years  1861,  '62  and  '64 

Our  line  of  battle  had  now  been  formed  on  a 
radius  within  a  few  miles  of  Eichmond.  Lee,  with 
out  waiting  for  our  renewed  attacks,  had  stealthily 
retreated  before  our  advancing  legions.  The  capture 
of  the  ford,  at  Taylor's  Bridge  by  HANCOCK  had  en 
abled  us  to  stretch  our  columns  above  and  beyond 
the  strategic  point  at  Sexton's  Junction.  In  moving 
on  the  Virginia  Central  railroad,  he  had  been  furi 
ously  attacked  by  Lee,  and  severely  repulsed  him. 
The  conduct  of  the  Fifth  Corps,  under  WARREN,  at 
this  place,  had  been  complimented  by  General  MEADE, 
and  that  of  the  division  of  BIRNEY  had  received 
similar  encomiums  from  HANCOCK.  The  arrival  of 
BURNSIDE  and  WRIGHT  —  the  latter  now  command 
ing  the  Corps  of  noble  old  SEDGWICK — had  brought 
large  reinforcements,  and  the  ground  taken  from  the 
enemy  was  firmly  held.  By  repeated  assaults  the 
enemy  attempted  to  retake  the  bridge  from  HANCOCK, 
but  they  were  foiled  and  driven  back  on  every  occa 
sion.  Constant  fighting  and  skirmishing  had  been 
continued  by  the  Second  and  Ninth  Corps,  the  head 
quarters  being  located  at  Jericho  Mills. 

From  these  points  began  another  of  those  high 
strategic  movements  for  which  the  Lieutenant  General 


262  WINF1ELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

is  so  deservedly  famous.  Swiftly  and  silently  he 
withdraws,  under  the  feint  of  an  attack  on  the  Vir 
ginia  Central,  from  before  the  strong  entrenchments 
of  Lee,  and  moves  directly  in  a  contrary  manner  from 
what  the  enemy  expected.  The  Confederate  comman 
der  was  again  utterly  deceived.  Our  troops  rapidly 
crossed  the  Pamunkey,  swept  on  through  Hanover- 
town,  at  a  distance  of  only  fifteen  miles  from  Richmond, 
and  very  soon  reached  the  strong  strategic  point  and 
convenient  base  of  supplies,  at  White  House. 

The  fights  on  Totopatomoy  creek  had  all'  resulted 
in  our  favor.  The  enemy  were  forced  back  at  every 
point,  and  our  whole  army  was  soon  in  its  chosen 
position. 

Lee  was  again  on  the  Chickahominy.  It  had  be 
come,  once  more,  his  line  of  battle.  He  hoped,  in 
maintaining  it,  to 'drive  and  keep  our  whole  force  in 
the  unhealthy  swamps  beyond,  where  all  our  mili 
tary  movements  would  have  to  be  made  under  the 
greatest  disadvantages.  But  the  strategy  of  GRANT 
was  fully  equal  to  the  emergency.  By  his  rapid 
flankings  he  had  moved  just  where  he  wanted  to  go, 
avoiding  all  battles  which  he  would  have  fought  at  a 
disadvantage,  saving  the  lives  of  his  men,  keeping 
up  their  spirits  by  continued  advances,  and  outgene 
raling  and  mystifying  the  enemy. 


TOWARD  THE  JAMES.  263 

The  battles  of  Cold  Harbor  and  Bottom's  Bridge, 
which  preceded  our  victorious  approach  to  the  James 
River,  had  been  sanguinary  in  their  character ;  but 
they  were  short  and  successful. 

The  attack  at  Cold  Harbor  was  made  at  five  o'clock 
in  the  afternoon  of  the  1st  of  June.  The  Second 
Corps,  under  HANCOCK,  was  in  position  to  resist  any 
sudden  assault  that  might  be  made  on  our  rear.  The 
gallant  Sixth  Corps  led  the  van,  assisted  by  SMITH, 
WARREN,  BURNSIDE  and  HANCOCK.  It  was  in  all 
respects  a  brilliant  affair.  The  battle  continued  until 
after  dark,  and  resulted  in  our  carrying  the  enemy's 
works  at  all  points.  Repeated  attempts  were  made 
by  bold  strokes  to  retake  them,  but  in  vain.  In 
every  instance  they  were  repulsed,  with  heavy  loss 
on  their  side.  Several  hundred  of  them  were  cap 
tured  during  the  night,  and  other  injuries  inflicted 
on  Lee  that  were  evidently  severely  felt. 

We  were  now  approaching  the  centre  stronghold 
more  closely  than  ever,  and  the  resistance  of  the  enemy 
was  every  hour  becoming  more  fierce  and  more  deter 
mined.  The  hostile  front  was  formed  on  our  line  only 
five  miles  distant  from  Richmond.  The  thunder  of  the 
guns  could  now  be  heard,  as  they  never  had  been  heard 
before,  in  the  ears  of  the  Confederated  troops.  Gained 
Mills,  Mechanicsville,  Fair  Oaks,  and  other  spots  near 


264:  WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYERS  SON. 

Richmond,  made  memorable  in  history  by  trie  con 
flicts  there  of  the  Union  forces  with  their  foes, 
clustered  around,  and  by  their  battle  memories 
aroused  anew  the  enthusiasm  of  our  ranks.  All  the 
enemies'  works  constructed  at  various  intersecting 
points  had  been  rendered  useless  by  the  strategy  of 
GKANT,  and  the  approaches  of  Lee  to  Richmond  were 
seriously  endangered. 

The  Southern  commander  was  still  strong,  still  wily 
still  courageous ;   but  his  forces  had  been  fearfully 
decimated,  even  when  assailed  by  us  behind  his  en 
trenchments,  and  his  communications  with  other  parts 
of  the  Confederate  lines  were  daily  and  hourly  growing 

"  Small,  -by  degrees,  and  beautifully  less." 

The  enemy  vainly  and  boastfully  asserted  that 
GRANT  had  declined  the  gage  of  battle.  But  he  had 
done  nothing  of  the  kind.  He  was  always  ready  for 
battle,  and  always  delivered  it,  when  he  thought 
proper.  He  did  not,  however,  deem  it  wise  to  fight 
on  the  ground  chosen  by  the  enemy,  when  he  could 
fight  so  much  better  on  ground  chosen  by  himself. 
The  truth  is,  his  strategy,  skill,  and  generalship  were 
too  much  for  General  Lee,  however  reluctant  sympa 
thizing  publicists  in  every  section  were  then,  and  for 
long  after,  to  admit  it. 

GRANT    started   from   Washington   to   reach   the 


TOWARD  THE  JAMES.  265 

James  River,  in  his  own  way.     He  had  marked  out 
his  line  of  battle  to  suit  himself,  not  the  enemy 
and,  as  he  naively  expressed  it  in  his  famous  dispatch 
to  the  Secretary  of  War,  he  was  determined  to  "fight 
it  out  on  this  line,  if  it  should  take  all  summer." 

The  enemy  had  expended  a  prodigious  amount  of 
labor — the  most  of  it  performed  by  the  unpaid  hands 
of  their  slaves  —  in  erecting  strong  fortifications,  re 
newing  the  ambuscades  of  old  Manassas,  Bull  Run, 
and  Ball's  Bluff)  all  along  the  line  which  they  were 
extremely  desirous  to  have  GKANT  adopt  and  pursue. 
But  he,  obstinate  man !  deliberately  insisted  in  flank 
ing  these  formidable  works,  passing  by  and  beyond 
them,  and  leaving,  them  as  useless  lumber  on  the 
deserted  field.  It  was  a  very  inconvenient,  disagree 
able  and  damaging  operation  for  the  enemy.  But 
alas  I  for  them.  There  was  no  way  in  which  they 
could  prevent  it. 

The  water-base  of  the  Union  army  being  opened 
at  White  House,  near  the  James,  the  hostile  embank 
ments  outflanked  and  rendered  harmless,  a  long  and 
unhealthy  campaign  on  the  Chickahominy  being 
avoided,  the  conquest  of  Richmond  now  became  an 
object  of  pursuit  from  another  point  of  strategy. 
We  shall  see  how  successfully  that  conquest  is  finally 

accomplished. 
23 


266  WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SOW. 

On  Monday,  the  31st  of  May,  our  line  extended 
from  the  Pamunkey,  immediately  in  front  of  Han 
over  Court  House,  to  beyond  Totopatomoy  creek.  A 
strong  assault  was  made  by  the  enemy  in  the  evening 
of  this  day,  in  which  HANCOCK  was  called  into  action. 
He  commenced  by  a  diversion  upon  the  foe  with  a 
heavy  cannonade,  that  lasted  for  a  number  of  hours, 
the  position  of  the  enemy  being  assailed  by  several 
batteries,  and  six  Cohorn  mortars.  HANCOCK'S  Corps 
occupied  the  right  centre,  WRIGHT,  the  worthy  suc 
cessor  of  SEDGWICK,  holding  the  extreme  right, 
WARREN  the  left  centre,  and  BURNSIDE  the  extreme 
,eft.  In  this  position  the  attack  was  made  by  BIR- 
NEY,  under  HANCOCK,  and  well  sustained.  BIRNEY 
advanced  on  the  right,  BARLOW  on  the  centre.  The 
first  line  of  the  enemy  was  carried  by  a  brilliant 
charge,  in  which  a  considerable  number  of  prisoners 
were  captured  from  the  command  of  Breckinridge. 

Thus  the  Union  forces  fought  their  way  to  the 
banks  of  the  James,  and  the  contiguous  region. 
Kichmond  was  to  be  approached  through  its  out 
posts.  Whether  it  was  to  be  conquered  by  a  direct 
assault,  or  reduced  by  a  continued  siege,  was  yet  to 
be  determined. 

A  severe  assault  was  made  on  our  lines  on  the 
evening  of  Friday,  the  3d  of  June.  The  troops  first 


TOWARD  THE  JAMES.  267 

attacked  were  those  of  SMITH'S  brigade,  GIBBON'S 
division,  HANCOCK'S  Corps.  It  was  a  sharp  attack, 
and  began  with  the  customary  horrid  jells.  The 
battle  raged  with  great  fury  for  some  time ;  but  the 
enemy  were  gallantly  repulsed,  and  prevented  for 
that  day  from  trying  their  assault  again.  They  were 
driven  back  still  further,  their  entrenchments  occu 
pied,  and  lost  over  three  hundred  prisoners,  beside 
many  killed  and  wounded. 

The  Heavy  Artillery  of  HANCOCK,  under  TYLER, 
rendered  signal  service  on  this  occasion.  The  latter 
General  was  severely  wounded. 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

Hancock's  Siege-Lines  Closing  in  on  the  Confederate  Capital — Han 
cock  Carries  Bottoms  Bridge  at  the  Point  of  the  Bayonet  —  The 
Mississippi  Valley  Sanitary  Fair  Presents  a  Sword  to  General 
Hancock. 

IN  reviewing  the  battles  leading  from  the  Potomac 
to  the  James,  from  Washington  to  Richmond,  in 
which  General  HANCOCK  took  so  active  a  part,  we 
continue  to  find  much  to  admire  in  his  character  as 
a  soldier.  These  battles  constitute  a  series  of  engage 
ments,  among  the  most  sanguinary  of  any  on  record. 
The  purpose  to  advance  on  the  part  of  the  patriot 
army  was  fixed  and  unyielding.  The  purpose  to 
resist  was  the  same  on  the  part  of  the  enemy.  Nothing 
carried  the  day  for  us  and  secured  our  steady  progress 
toward  our  noble  object,  the  suppression  of  armed 
rebellion,  but  the  courage  and  endurance  of  the 
Union  armies  under  GRANT,  co-operated  with  at  other 
points  by  the  distinguished  Generals  SHERMAN,  in 
Georgia,  SHERIDAN,  in  the  Valley  of  the  Shenandoah 

(268) 


IN  THE  CHICKAHOMINY  BATTLES.          269 

and  the  equally  distinguished  Admiral  FARRAGUT, 
on  the  Atlantic  coast. 

Our  space  will  not  allow  us  to  review  in  detail 
all  the  battles  in  which  HANCOCK  occupied  so  promi 
nent  a  position.  "We  can  only  follow  him  as  he  ad 
vances  with  the  main  army,  and  incidentally  describe 
such  scenes  in  which  he  was  an  actor;  as  come  under 
view  in  our  limited  pages. 

One  of  the  features  of  his  career  in  this  campaign 
that  cannot  fail  to  attract  attention,  is  the  promptness 
with  which  he  always  moved.  When  he  received  an 
order,  for  instance,  to  move  on  a  given  line  at  thirty 
minutes  past  four  o'clock  in  the  morning,  at  thirty- 
one  minutes  past  that  hour  he  was  in  motion.  There 
was  no  delay  —  not  even  that  of  a  moment.  His 
attacks  and  conquests  were  of  a  similar  character. 
Sometimes  in  thirty  minutes  from  the  time  he  moved, 
he  had  fought  and  won  the  field.  His  men  were  so 
accustomed  to  his  rapid  movements  that  lines  of  bat 
tle  six  miles  in  length  responded  to  his  calls,  as  if 
formed  immediately  around  him.  Here  is  the  secret 
of  his  power  as  a  great  General.  His  lines  were 
always  well  in  hand.  His  power  was  never  scattered. 
In  all  this  promptness  of  energy,  he  was  perfectly 
responded  to  by  every  one  of  his  commanders,  who 
richly  deserve  to  share  with  him  the  gratitude  and 

28* 


270  TWNFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON, 

praise  of  a  ransomed  country.  Special  mention  is 
due  here  to  Colonel  TOMPKINS,  Chief  of  Artillery  in 
the  Second  Corps;  as  well  as  to  the  cavalry,  for  their 
invaluable  services  in  securing  our  continued  ad 
vance.  It  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  the  artillery 
practice  of  the  United  States  army  is  among  the  best 
in  the  world. 

On  the  7th  of  June  the  advancing  siege  lines  of 
HANCOCK  had  materially  increased  the  uneasiness  of 
the  enemy.  They  could  not  understand  what  he 
meant  by  continuing  to  approach  so  near  to  their 
front  line  of  battle.  It  was  not  necessary  to  his  pur 
pose  that  they  should.  Every  attempt  they  made  to 
feel  our  lines  met  only  with  repulse  and  capture. 
Under  cover  of  the  thick  fog  peculiar  to  that  part 
of  the  country,  they  had  advanced  to  within  pistol- 
shot  range  of  our  works,  intending  to  make  a  dash 
and  surprise  us.  But  our  pickets  were  on  the  alert. 
A  sheet  of  flame  from  the  entire  line  of  the  division 
of  the  Second  Corps  commanded  by  GIBBON  drove 
back  the  invaders  in  confusion.  The  fire  from  our 
ranks  enfiladed  their  progress,  and  they  fell  back  in 
confusion,  leaT  ing  many  of  their  number  dead  and 
wounded  on  the  field. 

The  exposure  of  General  HANCOCK  at  this  point 
was  so -imminent,  that  Lieutenant  McCuNE,  of  his 


IN  THE  CHICKAHOMINY  BATTLES.          271 

staff,  had  his  leg  shot  off,  while  standing  near  the 
General's  headquarters.  But  he  held  his  ground  on 
the  extreme  left  of  our  line,  stretching  along  the  road 
leading  to  Dispatch  Station,  while  the  cavalry  pickets 
of  the  dashing  SHERIDAN  guarded  the  banks  of  the 
Chickahominy. 

It  was  evidently  the  firm  purpose  of  the  enemy  to 
turn  the  position  of  HANCOCK.  They  opened  their 
most  furious  fire  on  his  lines,  keeping  up  the  rattle 
of  musketry  and  roar  of  artillery  with  a  steadiness 
and  perseverance  rarely  equalled.  The  attempt  was 
clearly  made  to  break  the  brigade  of  Smith,  in  the 
Second  Corps,  in  the  hope  of  penetrating  to  the  main 
army.  Delusive  hope !  It  was  doomed  to  share  the 
fate  of  those  that  had  gone  before  it.  Through  all 
the  darkness  of  those  hours  of  the  thunder  of  battle, 
tne  noble  old  Second  stood  to  their  guns ;  and,  when 
the  morning  broke,  their  gallant  lines  were  intact  as 
of  yore 

A  change  ol"  base  was  effected  for  strategic  pur 
poses,  from  the  White  House,  near  the  junction  of 
the  York  and  Pamunkey  rivers,  on  the  10th  of  June, 
to  Harrison's  Landing  and  other  suitable  points  on 
the  James.  This  object  of  GRANT  had  thus  been 
accomplished.  Up  to  this  moment  both  armies  had 
continued  to  occupy  their  relative  positions. 


272  WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

During  the  night  of  Saturday,  HANCOCK  had  made 
a  successful  attack  on  the  enemy  at  Bottom's  Bridge. 
The  cannonading  was  heavy,  and  the  result  auspicious 
to  our  arms.  The  Chickahominy  was  crossed  at  this 
point,  at  a  distance  of  only  about  twelve  miles  from 
Kichmond,  seven  miles  northeast  of  Four-Mile  creek, 
on  the  James  river.  HANCOCK,  after  a  desperate 
fight,  had  succeeded  in  dislodging  the  enemy,  carry 
ing  the  bridge  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet.  It  was 
securely  held  by  his  Corps,  and  the  whole  army  safely 
crossed  the  stream  at  that  point  and  at  other  bridges. 
The  Second  Corps  marched  at  once  to  a  selected  sta 
tion  on  the  James. 

The  whole  movement  was  executed  with  consum 
mate  skill ;  and  reflects  the  highest  credit  not  only 
on  the  Lieutenant  General,  but  on  all  concerned. 
Like  other  strategic  plans  of  this  memorable  cam 
paign,  it  took  the  Southerners  completely  by  surprise, 
and  was  all  the  more  effective  on  that  account.  The 
bridges  generally  occupied  were  those  of  our  own 
pontoons.  The  rapidity  of  their  preparation,  and 
the  speed  with  which  so  large  an  army  crossed  such 
a  river  in  perfect  safety,  show  to  advantage  the  mili 
tary  skill  which  prevails  in  the  American  army. 

By  this  masterly  movement  our  army  was  now  on 
the  banks  of  the  James,  on  which  Kichmond  is  situ- 


ON  THE  JAMES.  273 

ated,  and  occupying  a  strong  position  at  the  south  of 
that  doomed  Southern  capital.  Little  or  no  oppo 
sition  had  been  made  to  our  crossing.  Our  cavalry 
had  several  skirmishes,  the  result  of  reconnoissances, 
to  feel  the  positions  of  the  enemy.  If  they  were 
aware  of  our  proceeding  they  did  not  attempt  to 
interrupt  it.  Perhaps  it  was  best  for  them  that  they 
did  not. 

The  post  of  duty  assigned  to  HANCOCK  was  that 
tfce  farthest  up  the  river  —  the  nearest  toward  the 
Southern  capital.  At  this  point  he  threw  out  his  ad 
vanced  pickets,  and  proceeded  to  entrench.  All 
around  him  were  signs  of  the  ravages  of  war ;  but 
there  were  portions  of  the  country  still  clothed  in 
green,  and  smiling  in  the  sunny  rays  of  June.  Some 
fields  of  grain  had  not  been  trodden  by  the  march 
of  armed  men,  horses  and  trains  of  artillery,  and  the 
forests  towered  up  in  the  distance  in  all  their  primeval 
beauty.  Nearly  all  the  adult  population  had  been 
ruthlessly  conscripted  into  the  insurgent  armies,  leav 
ing  the  houses  to  be  occupied  by  the  old  people  and 
children ;  while  the  neglected  fields  told  too  plainly 
a  sad  tale  of  the  havoc  and  neglect  that  the  terrible 
plague  of  war  had  poured  over  them,  like  a  desolat 
ing  tide  of  fire. 

While  thus  patriotically  occupied  in  the  field  of 


274  WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

duty,  Hancock  was  not  forgotten  by  his  friends  at 
home.  It  is  pleasant  to  turn  away  from  the  scenes 
of  carnage  and  suffering  that  accompany  the  move 
ments  of  armies,  and  contemplate  the  grateful  pro 
ceedings  of  his  fellow-citizens  in  the  peaceful  walks 
of  life. 

At  the  time  he  was  thus  bravely  fighting  for  his 
country,  the  public  Fairs  of  the  United  States  Sani 
tary  Commission  were  being  held,  in  different  parts 
of  the  country.  This  Commission  is  composed  of 
volunteer  citizens  of  the  Kepublic,  who  formed  them 
selves  into  an  association  for  the  purpose  of  aiding 
the  government  in  caring  for  our  brave  soldiers  in 
the  fields  and  hospitals,  and  our  equally  brave  sea 
men  in  the  navy.  They  had  held  several  festivals 
and  other  appropriate  gatherings,  at  which  large 
sums  of  money  were  raised  by  the  free-will  offerings 
of  the  people,  and  abundant  supplies  procured  for 
the  necessities  of  our  sick  and  wounded  heroes.  To 
further  this  good  object,  several  expedients  had  been 
resorted  to,  especially  at  the  instigation  of  patriotic 
ladies,  to  swell  the  fund?  of  this  most  commendable 
purpose.  Among  these  the  managers  of  the  Mis 
sissippi  Yalley  Sanitary  Fair  adopted  the  plan  of 
presenting  a  sword  to  General  HANCOCK.  The  amount 
accessary  to  procure  this  elegant  gift  was  all  obtained 


MORE  HOME  TESTIMONIALS.  275 

from  among  volunteer  donors,  while  the  act  of  de 
ciding  the  sword  to  be  his,  elicited  a  competition  that 
largely  swelled  the  gross  receipts  for  the  noble  object 
in  view. 

The  following  is  the  correspondence  on  this  sub 
ject  : 

"SAINT  Louis,  MISSOURI,  JUNE  18th,  1864. 

Major  General  W.  S.  HANCOCK  ; 
SIR:— 

It  is  with  great  pleasure  I  announce  to  you  that  the  handsome 
gword  donated  to  the  Mississippi  Valley  Sanitary  Fair,  to  be  voted 
for  by  those  who  make  donations  in  voting,  has  been  awarded  to 
you ;  there  having  been  a  large  plurality  of  votes  in  your  favor. 

It  is  highly  gratifying  to  the  people  of  Saint  Louis,  who  regard 
you  as  more  than  half  a  citizen,  that  the  sword  has  been  awarded 
to  you,  as  an  humble  but  respectful  appreciation  of  your  gallant 
and  distinguished  services  in  the  field. 

That  success  may  continue  to  attend  your  noble  efforts  to  crush 
out  the  rebellion  against  our  country,  is  my  earnest  and  heart 
felt  prayer. 

You  will  please  indicate  the  disposition  you  wish  made  of  the 
Bword,  which  awaits  your  order. 

Very  respectfully  and  truly  yours, 

JAMES  E.  YEATMAN, 
Chairman  Executive  Committee,  Mississippi  Valley  Sanitary  Fair." 

REPLY  or  GENERAL  HANCOCK 

"HEADQUARTERS   SECOND  ARMY  CORPS,  JtTNE  27,  1864. 
MY  DEAR  SIR:— 

Your  favor  of  the  18th  instant,  informing  me  that  the  handsom« 
gword  donated  to  the  Mississippi  Valley  Sanitary  Fair  has  been 
awarded  to  me.  is  received. 


276  WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

Such  a  mark  of  consideration,  from  the  citizens  of  Saint  Louii, 
is  truly  gratifying.  Having  married  in  that  city,  and  residing 
there  for  many  years,  I  regard  it  as  a  home. 

Only  the  soldier  can  fully  appreciate  the  benefit  of  your  noble 
efforts  in  behalf  of  the  Sanitary  Commission.     The  efrects  of  ita 
kind  offices  in  ameliorating  our  wants  and  sufferings  are  felt,  with 
a  grateful  remembrance,  through  every  part  of  our  vast  army. 
I  am,  sir,  very  respectfully, 

Your  obedient  servant, 

W.  S.  HANCOCK, 

Major  General  United  States  Volunteer*. 

To  JAMES  E.  YEATMAN,  Esq.,  Chairman  of  the  Executive  Com 
mittee,  Western  Sanitary  Commission,  Saint  Louis,  Missouri. 

P.  S.  Please  send  the  sword  to  Mrs.  W.  S.  HANCOCK,  Caronde- 
let,  Missouri. 

W.  S.  H.w 

At  the  great  Central  Sanitary  Fair,  held  with  such 
marked  success  in  the  city  of  Philadelphia,  during 
the  current  month  of  June,  1864,  the  citizens  of  the 
States  especially  represented,  Pennsylvania,  New 
Jersey,  and  Delaware,  manifested  their  deep  interest 
in  General  HANCOCK,  and  their  high  appreciation  of 
his  services  for  the  country,  by  the  presentation  of  a 
splendid  full  set  of  horse  equipments,  valued  at  five 
hundred  dollars,  manufactured  for  the  occasion,  by 
Messrs.  MAGE,  of  Philadelphia. 

The  correspondence  on  the  subject  has  not  yet  ap 
peared.  It  is  known  that  the  General  has  expressed 


MORE  HOME  TESTIMONIALS.  277 

his  grateful  appreciation  of  the  handsome  gift, 
especially  on  account  of  the  application  of  the  money 
derived  from  it  in  the  Fair,  to  the  relief  of  our  suf 
fering  troops  and  sailors. 

Several  other  gentlemen,  actuated  by  similar 
motives  of  patriotism  and  personal  good  will,  took 
measures  to  present  him  a  commodious  dwelling  in 
Philadelphia,  the  particulars  of  which  reflect  much 
credit  on  the  parties  concerned.  From  considerations 
of  delicacy  we  abstain  from  inserting  all  the  names 
of  parties  in  this  place,  with  regard  to  this  honorable 
and  generous  proceeding. 

The  Coal  Exchange  of  Philadelphia,  through  the 
personal  exertions  of  JOHN  R.  BLACKISTON,  Esq., 
DAVIS  PEARSON,  Esq.,  and  other  gentlemen,  gave  a 
practical  proof  of  their  good  will  by  placing  at  the 
disposal  of  General  HANCOCK  the  handsome  sum  of 
fifteen  thousand  dollars,  to  be  used  by  him  at  his 
discretion,  in  the  work  of  procuring  recruits  for  his 
Corps. 

Mr.  PEARSON  followed  his  proofs  of  attachment  to 
the  General  by  raising,  in  connection  with  his  own 
liberal  subscription,  the  sum  of  twenty-four  hundred 
dollars,  with  a  view  to  presenting  him  another  elegant 
sword  and  accoutrements.  But,  in  consequence  of  his 

having  received  a  similar  present  from  Saint  Louis,  this 
24 


278  W INFIELD,  THE  LA  WYERS  SON. 

testimonial  was  deferred.  The  subscription  was 
therefore  retained  until,  at  a  later  date,  the  contri 
butions  of  his  Philadelphia  friends  should  make  it 
possible  to  present  him  with  a  durable  gift,  which 
could  be  treasured  by  his  family. 

It  was  perfectly  natural  and  proper  that  the  citi 
zens  of  Saint  Louis  should  feel  a  peculiar  interest  in 
General  HANCOCK.  Beside  their  high  appreciation 
of  his  character  as  an  officer,  they  had  known  him 
among  them  as  a  resident.  As  a  General,  they  re 
garded  his  brilliant  military  achievements  as  fully 
equal  to  the  best  of  those  of  the  most  distinguished 
commanders  of  NAPOLEOST — MURAT,  DESSAIX,  JUNOT, 
and  DUROC.  They  felt  that  the  nation  owed  him  a 
debt  of  gratitude,  which  would  be  well  repaid ;  but 
their  attachment  to  his  person  was  originated  and 
cemented  by  still  other  causes. 

He  had  come  among  them  from  his  campaigns  in 
Mexico,  and  by  his  modest  bearing,  his  gentlemanly 
courtesies, '  his  skillful  attention  to  his  duties,  had 
won  all  their  hearts.  It  was  nearly  seventeen  years 
since  he  first  came  to  Missouri — a  young  Lieutenant 
and  Aid  to  General  CLARK,  then  in  command  of  Jef 
ferson  Barracks.  Here  he  had  married  the  only 
daughter  of  the  late  Mr.  SAMUEL  RUSSELL,  one  of 
the  oldest  and  most  highly  esteemed  merchants  of 


MORE  HOME  TESTIMONIALS.  279 

Saint  Louis.  The  name  of  this  gentleman  is  never 
mentioned  but  with  respect  among  all  who  knew 
him.  His  house,  on  Fourth  street,  in  that  city,  was 
for  years  the  seat  of  generous  and  elegant  hospitality ; 
while  his  career  as  a  merchant  exerted  a  wide-spread 
influence  in  the  prosecution  of  Western  trade.  Here 
General  HANCOCK  had  resided,  for  several  years; 
here  his  children  were  born ;  here  his  character  as  a 
soldier  and  a  gentleman  had  been  regarded  with 
pride.  Nothing  of  the  kind,  therefore,  could  be  more 
becoming,  than  that  St.  Louis  should  honor  herself 
by  honoring  him  with  an  elegant  and  costly  sword. 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

The  Second  Army  Corps  Advancing  on  Petersburg — General  Mead* 
Congratulates  General  Hancock — Closing  in  upon  Richmond  — 
A  Magnificent  Ruse  and  a  Midnight  Surprise. 

WE  are  now  to  take  our  stand  with  HANCOCK, 
in  front  of  Petersburg,  Virginia.  The  inter 
mediate  steps  by  which  he  reached  this  important 
point  are  passing  into  the  current  history  of  the 
country.  His  Corps  moved,  in  conjunction  with  that 
of  WARREN,  across  the  intervening  region,  until 
they  arrived  at  the  position  of  most  strategic  value. 
He  was  in  the  advance  of  the  extreme  left,  on  the 
fifteenth  of  June,  and  immediately  opened  on  the 
enemy.  The  outer  works  assailed  were  pronounced 
by  competent  judges  to  be  more  difficult  to  capture 
than  those  taken  from  the  enemy  at  Missionary 
Ridge  and  Chattanooga. 

(280) 


IN  FRONT  OF  PETERSBURG.  281 

It  seemed  natural  that  the  old  Second  Corps  should 
be  among  the  first  to  make  the  attack  on  these  new 
and  powerful  strongholds  of  the  enemy.  It  was 
still  meet  and  fitting  that  they  should  be  in  the 
advance.  Their  well-tried  guns  were  among  the 
earliest  to  wake  the  echoes  of  Petersburg. 

Up  to  this  time  the  leaders  at  Kichmond  had  no 
correct  idea  of  our  movements.  They  were  not  at 
all  aware  of  our  having  crossed  the  James.  It  was 
their  expectation — their  fond  hope — that  we  should 
take  the  old  route,  by  way  of  Malvern  Hills,  where 
they  were  prepared  to  greet  us  with  secret  embank 
ments,  ambuscades,  and  surprises;  if  possible  to 
drive  us  back,  and  keep  us  through  the  summer  in 
the  pestilential  swamps  of  the  Chickahominy,  and 
contiguous  streams.  They  did  not  dream  that  by  a 
bold  movement  GRANT  would  again  change  his  whole 
base,  dash  across  the  James  river  in  darkness  and 
silence,  and  plant  himself  opposite  their  intrench- 
ments  in  front  of  Petersburg,  and  south  of  Eichmond. 
They  awoke  to  the  discovery  of  the  fact  that  the 
arduous  and  gallant  deed  was  done — and  they  knew 
it  not!  Their  defences  at  a  strong  strategic  point 
were  not  only  now  to  be  assailed,  but  both  Peters 
burg  and  Kichmond  were  to 'be  virtually  besieged, 
24* 


282  WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYERS  SON. 

and   the  long  lines  of  communications  with   other 
parts  of  the  Confederation  seriously  endangered. 

Large  rebel  reinforcements  were  now  sent  rapidly 
forward  to  confront  us.  By  placing  a  strong  force 
across  the  Appomattox  river,  in  the  immediate 
vicinity  of  Petersburg,  the  enemy  prevented  us  from 
the  speedy  capture  of  that  place,  except  at  a  greater 
sacrifice  of  life,  on  both  sides,  than  the  Lieutenant 
General  felt  warranted  in  making. 

The  next  strategy  of  GKANT  was  the  possession 
of  the  contiguous  railroads.  By  shutting  up  con 
siderable  bodies  of  hostile  troops  in  Richmond  and 
Petersburg,  he  prevented  Lee  from  employing  them 
against  us  at  other  points,  and  prepared  the  way  for 
those  movements  in  certain  directions  which  he  knew 
would  greatly  weaken  the  military  power  of  the 
South.  Saving  his  men  from  severe  losses  by  direct 
attacks  'and  defences,  he  could  enclose  the  enemy 
within  their  entrenchments ;  and  then,  by  gradually 
cutting  off  their  supplies,  either  compel  an  evacua 
tion  or  surrender.  He  had  already  inflicted  consider 
able  damage  on  some  of  their  lines  of  communica 
tion;  but  the  facilities  for  repairing  then  enjoyed  by 
the  enemy,  in  consequence  of  the  secret  assistance 
they  derived  from  their  sympathizers  abroad,  enabled 
them  to  keep  the  most  active  of  them  in  occasional 


IN  FR  ONT  OF  PETER  SB  UB  G.  283 

use.  The  lines  of  our  army  were  gradually  and 
steadily  being  drawn  over  all  this  net- work  of  rail 
roads  ;  but  they  were  not  yet  sufficiently  strong  and 
compact  to  be  completely  effective  in  holding  them. 

The  Second  Corps  had  been  advanced  toward 
Petersburg,  resting  its  right  wing  on  the  Jerusalem 
plank  road,  running  across  from  the  railroad  to  Nor 
folk  and  Weldon.  In  the  absence  of  HANCOCK,  who 
was  kept  from  the  field  by  the  breaking  out,  in  con 
sequence  of  his  severe  duties,  of  his  Gettysburg 
wound,  there  was  a  gap  allowed  to. occur  between 
his  Corps  and  the  Sixth.  Taking  advantage  of  this 
fact,  revealed  to  them  by  spies,  the  enemy  made  a 
dash  on  his  lines,  and  inflicted  some  damage.  It  is 
due  to  General  BIRNEY,  who  was  in  temporary  com 
mand  of  the  Second  Corps,  at  the  time,  that  he  should 
be  exonerated  from  all  blame  for  this  reverse.  It 
was  not  owing  to  any  lack  of  vigilance  or  courage 
on  his  part,  but  to  the  occurrence  of  fortuitous  cir 
cumstances  not  in  the  power  of  man  to  prevent. 

The*  twentieth  Massachusetts  regiment  of  volun 
teers,  attached  to  the  Second  Corps,  rallied  at  the 
call  of  danger,  and  rendered  great  service  on  this 
occasion.  It  was  in  command,  at  the  time,  of  Cap 
tain  PATTEN,  to  whom  much  credit  is  due  for  the 
manner  in  which  he  came  to  the  rescue,  and  whose 


284  WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

«\» 

coolness  and  daring  prepared  the  way  for  the  gradual 
rescue  of  the  Corps  from,  its  sudden  exposure. 

HANCOCK  was  in  his  tent,  suffering  extreme  pain. 
As  the  cry  came  to  him  — 

"  The  Second  Corps  is  attacked !"  he  rushed  from 
his  couch,  in  his  night  dress,  and,  calling  ar  ambu 
lance,  rode  directly  to  the  front. 

"  What  is  the  matter  with  the  Second  Corps  ?"  he 
asked,  in  tones  that  betokened  the  deepest  feeling. 

"  We  are  assailed  by  a  superior  force,  in  mass ;  cut 
off  from  support  on  the  left  flank !"  replied  one  of 
his  Aids,  who  had  galloped  ahead  of  him,  to  the 
scene  of  danger. 

In  a  moment  more  HANCOCK,  wrapped  in  his  army 
overcoat,  sword  in  hand,  was  mounted  and  rushing 
to  the  field.  But  by  the  time  he  reached  the  centre 
of  the  fight,  and  had  begun  to  rally  his  men,  the 
enemy  had  been  driven  back,  and  the  danger  wat 
passed.  Some  losses  were  experienced,  but  they 
were  soon  repaired,  and  plans  were  instantly  laid  for 
preventing  any  such  occurrence  in  the  future. 

The  brave  old  Corps  could  still  sing : 


'Though  some  may  sleep  'neath  Virginia's  sod, 
We  still  bear  the  flag  of  the  free,  my  boys; 
And  those  who  are  true  to  our  land  and  God, 
Will  meet  at  the  last  reveille,  my  boys." 


IN  FRONT  OF  PETERSBURG.  285 

It  is  a  strong  proof  of  the  confidence  reposed  in 
HANCOCK  by  GRANT  that  in  the  attacks  first  made 
on  Petersburg  his  command  was  materially  enlarged. 
In  addition  to  his  own  Corps,  detachments  from  the 
forces  under  SMITH  and  BURNSIDE  were  placed  at 
his  immediate  disposal.  His  main  attacks  were  be 
gun  by  the  Division  of  BIRNEY,  who  conducted  him 
self  with  his '  usual  gallantry.  The  enemy  were  re 
peatedly  driven  from  strong  positions,  with  severe 
losses  in  men  and  guns.  BIRNEY'S  troops  behaved 
in  the  most  splendid  manner  in  their  assaults,  win 
ning  the  highest  admiration  from  all  their  fellow- 
soldiers.  His  division  advanced,  under  a  heavy  fire, 
to  within  a  few  hundred  yards  of  the  enemy's  works, 
and  his  guns  commanded  the  city. 

Lee  now  rapidly  crossed  the  James,  reinforced 
Beauregard,  in  command  of  Petersburg,  and  post 
poned,  though  he  could  not  prevent  its  ultimate 
capture.  Severe  fighting  ensued ;  but  every  attempt 
to  drive  us  from  our  siege  position  was  a  signal 
failure.  Our  lines  continued  to  extend ;  our  works 
gradually  grew  more  numerous,  extensive,  and  power 
ful  ;  and  it  was  soon  evi  lent  that  our  grasp,  at  thia 
vital  point  of  the  enemy,  could  not  and  would  not  be 
loosened,  until  victory'  ensued. 

The  health  of  HANCOCK  speedily  improved,  and 


286  W1NFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

he  immediately  resumed  his  more  active  duties  in 
the  field.  He  had  placed  his  artillery  in  the  most 
commanding  positions,  and  was  doing  his  work  with 
his  usual  vigor. 

The  distinguished  honor  of  making  the  first  direct 
assault  on  Petersburg  was  assigned  to  the  Second 
Corps,  in  conjunction  with  the  troops  from  Bermuda 
Hundred,  under  SMITH.  HANCOCK  was  ready  with 
his  men,  and  eager  for  the  brave  attempt ;  but  a  delay 
in  furnishing  him  supplies  caused  a  detention  of 
several  hours,  which  prevented  the  success  of  the 
measure.  It  was  soon  after  found  that  the  arrival 
of  reinforcements  had  much  strengthened  the  enemy ; 
and  the  peculiar  location  of  the  city  would  defer  its 
capture  by  any  other  method  than  a  regular  siege. 
On  this  basis  GRANT  now  laid  his  plans ;  and,  with 
his  usual  reticence  and  coolness,  proceeded  to  carry 
them  into  effect. 

A  much  needed  opportunity  for  rest  was  afforded  our 
great  army.  Entrenching,  bombarding,  mining,  was 
now  the  order  of  the  day  and  night.  The  latter  pro 
cess  was  conducted  in  a  manner  that  must  always  at 
tract  the  attention  of  military  historians.  The  ground 
was  dug  in  such  an  angle  as  to  form  a  subterranean 
gallery,  and  the  miners  were  pushed  forward  by  their 
pickaxes  and  spades  under  the  solid  earth,  the  exca- 


IN  FRONT  OF  PETERSBURG.  287 

vations  being  made  without  the  use  of  coffer  works, 
or  frames  of  any  kind.  Dangerous  as  this  process 
was,  it  prevented  the  enemy  from  hearing  our  pro 
gress  under  their  works  and  beneath  their  feet.  Si 
lently,  steadily,  in  a  darkness  illumined  by  only  a 
few  army  lights,  our  brave  men  dug  their  way;  no 
sound  of  hammers  being  heard  in  their  under-ground 
march,  the  opening  to  their  mine  being  adroitly  hid 
den  from  view ;  and  occasional  f usilades  of  musketry 
and  salutes  of  artillery  deluding  the  watchful  enemy 
from  our  secret  purpose. 

As  a  still  further  foil  to  the  enemy,  the  Second 
Corps  was  ordered  over  the  Appomattox,  aided  by 
other  troops,  who  together  formed  a  junction  at  Point 
of  Rocks.  This  so  attracted  the  attention  of  the 
rebels,  that  they  were  completely  divested  of  all  idea 
as  to  where  and  how  any  mining  operations  might 
be  going  on.  At  the  same  time  a  detachment  of 
cavalry,  under  SHERIDAN,  crossed  the  James,  at  Jones' 
Neck,  whose  open  movements,  followed  by  a  line  of 
four  hundred  empty  army  wagons,  so  completely 
deceived  Lee  that  he  at  once  detached  a  special  force 
to  intercept  us. 

The  Second  Corps,  and  its  allies,  performed  their 
part  with  skill.  The  enemy  were  drawn  on  after 


288  WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

them,  in  a  bootless  pursuit,  leaving  the  entrench 
ments  at  Petersburg  still  more  exposed. 

At  this  moment,  while  the  attention  of  the  enemy 
is  completely  diverted,  and  while  many  of  our  own 
men  are  wondering  what  is  to  come  from  the  unex 
pected  movement,  the  mine  is  sprung.  The  explo 
sion  is  tremendous.  Immense  masses  of  earthworks 
and  of  the  adjacent  enclosure  are  thrown  high  in  the 
air,  and  a  wide  breach  is  made  in  the  enemy's  de 
fences.  The  attacking  parties  rush  forward  with 
determined  valor ;  but,  for  want  of  adequate  support, 
at  this  most  critical  juncture,  they  are  too  much  ex 
posed  to  achieve  all  the  results  that  such  an  explosion 
had  warranted  us  to  expect.  The  enemy  recover 
from  the  shock  just  in  time  to  bring  their  heaviest 
and  best  posted  guns  to  bear  on  our  exposed  columns, 
and  the  advantages  we  had  hoped  to  gain  by  this 
great  strategic  movement  are  suddenly  wrested  from 
us.  But  the  experience  gained  by  this  explosion 
was  invaluable,  and  we  shall  see  that  it  was  success 
fully  employed  on  several  future  occasions. 

It  was  a  gratifying  coincidence  that  soon  after  the 
occurrence  in  the  advance,  in  which,  during  the  ab 
sence  of  HANCOCK,  the  Second  Corps  met  with  some 
losses,  he  should  have  the  honor  in  person  to  repay 
them.  Immediately  on  resuming  his  active  command 


IN  FE  ONT  OF  PETER  SB  URG.  289 

be  commenced  forward  demonstrations.  He  issued 
an  earnest  address  to  his  troops,  in  which  he  adjured 
them  to  haste  to  wipe  out  any  reproach  that  migh 
be  supposed  to  rest  on  their  long-honored  colors.  He 
called  upon  them  to  follow  him  again  in  repulsing 
the  misguided  enemies  of  their  country,  and  to  win 
back  their  gxins.  Nobly,  enthusiastically  his  brave 
men  responded.  In  a  few  hours  only  after  he  entered 
the  field  again  an  attack  was  made  on  the  rebels,  in 
which  the  Corps  captured  four  guns  of  heavier  calibre 
than  those  they  had  lost.  The  deed  was  done.  Their 
honored  name  was  re-established. 

Immediately  on  receiving  the  announcement  of 
this  gallant  capture,  General  MEADE  dispatched  this 
congratulatory  note  to  General  HANCOCK  : 


POTOMAC,  'i 
,  1864.      j 


9  A.  M.,  July  27 
GENERAL  HANCOCK: 

Your  dispatch  of  twenty  minutes  past  seven  is  just  received. 

I  congratulate  you  and  your  gallant  Corps  on  your  success,  and 

trust  it  will  be  continued. 

GEO.  G.  MEADE, 

Major  General. 

For  some  weeks  previous  to  this  characteristic  oc 
currence,  the  troops  of  HANCOCK  had  been  among  the 
most  active  of  any  engaged  in  the  siege.  The  divi 
sions  of  BIRNEY,  BARLOW  and  GIBBON  were  fre- 

25  T 


290  WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

quently  in  motion,  inflicting  severe  blows  on  the 
enemy,  at  every  assailable  point.  In  consequence  of 
the  character  of  the  hostile  entrenchments,  it  was  dis 
covered  that  general  advances  along  our  whole  line 
were  inexpedient.  The  gains  were  not  commensu 
rate  with  the  losses  of  men  and  time.  BARLOW'S 
division,  in  conjunction  with  a  detachment  of  sharp 
shooters,  was  sent  out  on  important  reconnoissances, 
and  steps  were  continually  taken  to  possess  ourselves 
of  the  contiguous  railroads,  for  the  purpose  of  more 
effectually  cutting  off  the  supplies  of  the  enemy 
The  enemy  were  frequently  encountered  in  consider 
able  force,  and  in  every  case  driven  back.  By  'com 
bining  on  our  rear  and  massing  on  our  flanks  the 
wily  Lee  succeeded  in  inflicting  losses  upon  us,  occa 
sionally,  especially  at  points  where  the  Corps  had  not 
been  able,  owing  to  the  nature  of  the  country,  to 
complete  their  junctions ;  but  they  were  soon  repaired, 
and  the  lines  of  entrenchment  were  drawn  closer  and 
closer  around  the  walls  of  Petersburg. 

The  activity  of  our  cavalry,  under  WILSON,  con 
tinued  to  be  felt  at  all  points.  He  succeeded  in 
reaching  several  parts  of  the  enemy's  railroad  com 
munications,  and  in  citting  them  asunder.  Their 
rations  were  growing  less  and  less  reliable,  smaller 
and  smaller  in  quantity.  Large  bodies  of  hostile 


IN  FE  ONT  OF  PETER  SB  UR  G.  291 

raiders  were  sent  into  comparatively  new  regions,  to 
procure  those  indispensable  supplies,  the  want  of 
which  was  now  so  much  felt  by  Lee  in  his  camps,  and 
by  the  schemers  in  Eichmond  and  other  besieged 
places. 

General  HANCOCK  had  resumed  the  active  com 
mand  of  his  Corps  on  the  evening  of  the  27th  of 
June.  G'.neral  BIRNEY,  who  had  so  well  conducted 
himself  av,  its  head  for  the  past  few  weeks,  now  re 
sumed  MM  position  in  the  Third  Division. 

Demon  strations  were  soon  began  to  be  made  foi 
the  comp  lete  possession  of  the  Weldon  railroad.  The 
occupatu  n  of  this  important  means  of  communica 
tion  wou  Id  leave  the  besieged  enemy  only  one  per 
manent  railroad  —  the  Danville  —  and  such  outside 
roads  art  the  country  afforded.  Many  and  difficult 
preparatory  steps  were  essential  to  secure  this  im 
portant  result. 

At  daylight  of  Saturday,  July  30,  the  Union 
forces  opened  on  the  enemy  with  a  battery  of  one 
hundred  guns.  HANCOCK  had  recrossed  the  James, 
and  was  prepared  to  take  part  in  the  contemplated 
assault.  He  had  been  operating  to  advantage  for 
two  days  on  the  north  bank  of  the  river,  and  now 
joined  his  forces  with  those  of  SHERIDAN  and  KAUTZ, 
on  the  south  side  of  the  Appomattox.  He  had  come 


292  WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

to  the  rescue  at  the  most  critical  moment.  His  rapid 
movements  in  the  direction  of  Malvern  Hill  had  re 
sulted  in  the  capture  of  several  guns  and  a  considera 
ble  body  of  prisoners. 

The  position  of  the  campaign  after  the  explosion 
and  assault  was  as  formidable  as  ever.  Our  lines 
were  still  advancing;  the  coils  of  war  were  being 
drawn  more  and  more  closely  around  the  enemies  of 
the  Eepublic. 

It  was  now  the  30th  of  July.  Gratifying  intelli 
gence  came  pouring  in  of  the  operations  of  SHERMAN 
at  Atlanta,  and  of  FARRAGUT,  at  Mobile  Bay.  The 
spirits  of  our  men,  in  spite  of  the  intense  heats  and 
droughts  they  were  called  to  encounter,  and  their 
losses  by  repulses  at  the  open  jaws  of  death  in  the 
explosion  of  our  mine,  were  still  exultant,  and  every 
movement  was  onward. 

The  great  aim  of  GRANT  was  the  complete  and 
final  possession  of  the  Weldon  railroad.  All  his 
strategy  now  tended  to  this  important  point. 

On  the  9th  of  August  came  the  glorious  news  that 
Admiral  FARRAGUT  had  passed  the  forts  in  Mobile 
Bay,  which  the  over  -  confident  Confederates  had 
boldly  and  loudly  predicted  he  could  not  pass.  Sta 
tioned  at  the  mast-head  of  his  gallant  flag-ship,  the 
Hartford,  with  his  speaking-trumpet  placed,  by  means 


IN  FRONT  OF  PETERSBURG.  293 

of  tubes,  on  the  deck,  lie  had  swept  into  the  waters 
of  the  enemy,  attacking  them  at  every  assailable 
point,  sinking  and  capturing  their  ships,  taking  pos 
session  of  their  forts,  and  planting  the  national  flag 
on  the  ramparts  from  which,  with  so  much  of  treason 
able  infamy,  it  had  been  hauled  down.  The  nation 
was  electrified  at  the  welcome  intelligence,  and  shouts 
of  joy  ran  along  the  Union  lines  in  front  of  Peters 
burg.  New  successes  were  granted  us  in  the  variable 
Valley  of  the  Shenandoah,  and  the  movements  of 
Sherman,  in  Georgia,  were  highly  encouraging. 

The  continued  and  skillful  strategy  of  GRANT 
completely  deceived  the  enemy.  They  were  being  paid 
off  in  their  own  coin.  Greater  familiarity  with  theii 
location  and  wily  stratagems  had  prepared  the  way 
for  those  strategic  movements  which  surprised  and 
annoyed  them  to  a  degree  they  had  never  experi 
enced  before.  But  greater  and  more  signal  defeats 
awaited  them.  Instead  of  ending  his  campaign  be 
fore  Petersburg,  the  enemy  found,  to  their  deep  grief 
and  ill-dissembled  chagrin,  that  he  had  but  just  be 
gun  it.  Gradually,  but  surely,  one  after  another, 
their  avowed  contempt  for  the  Lieutenant-General 
died  away ;  and  they  were  reluctantly  forced  to  con 
fess  that  Lee  had,  at  last,  met  a  foeman  worthy  of 
his  steel.  We  thought  he  was  more  than  worthy. 
25* 


294  WIN  FIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SOX. 

On  Saturday,  August  13th,  the  Coips  of  HANCOCK 
was  thrown  across  the  James,  at  Deep  Bottom.  This 
was  the  same  point  at  which  he  had  made  a  success 
ful  feint  movement,  on  a  previous  occasion.  It  had 
been  sent  to  City  Point,  on  special  service,  and  em 
barked  on  transports.  Conjecture  as  to  its  ultimate 
destination  had  been  busy,  as  usual ;  but  all  doubt 
was  dispelled  by  its  passing  up  the  river,  and  landing 
at  Dutch  Gap.  A  little  after  sunrise,  on  Sunday 
morning,  BIRNEY  advanced,  with  FOSTER'S  division, 
and  drove  the  enemy  a  considerable  distance.  The 
lines  of  the  enemy  were  broken,  and  a  capture  made 
of  nearly  a  hundred  prisoners. 

The  cavalry,  under  GREGG,  had  now  cleared  the 
road  for  HANCOCK,  and  he  steadily  advanced.  He 
posted  his  Corps  on  the  Newmarket  road,  which  leads 
directly  from  Malvern  Hill  to  Eichmond — distant,  at 
that  point,  only  about  ten  miles. 

BIRNEY,  now  promoted,  and  most  deservedly,  too, 
to  the  command  of  the  Tenth  Corps,  made  a  gallant 
assault  on  the  front  of  the  enemy,  carrying  their 
works,  which  guarded  the  approaches  to  Kichmond 
in  that  direction,  capturing  six  pieces  of  cannon  and 
two  mortars. 

The  position  of  the  enemy  was  a  strong  one,  and 
they  parted  with  it  very  reluctantly.  But  the  skil- 


IN  FRONT  OF  PETERSBURG.  295 

ful  manoeuvring  of  HANCOCK  had  enabled  him  to 
reach  their  front  in  a  way  they  were  not  all  prepared 
for ;  and  there  was  no  resort  left  them  but  to  with 
draw.  Our  troops  held  the  position. 

But  little  hard  fighting  took  place,  as  the  strategy 
of  HANCOCK  rendered  it  unnecessary.  The  enemy 
were  taken  by  surprise,  and  our  loss  was  small. 

The  whole  movement  was  a  perfect  blind  to  the 
enemy.  Our  troops,  which  they  saw  moving  down 
the  river,  on  transports,  during  the  day,  turned  back 
again  at  night,  and,  surprising  the  enemy  in  their  en 
trenchments,  captured  them  with  ease. 

As  the  Second  started  on  this  imaginary  voyage, 
their  bands  struck  up  gaily,  and  gave  to  the  winds 
several  martial  and  playful  airs  to  be  wafted  to  rebel 
ears.  They  thought  we  were  bound  to  Charleston, 
perhaps  to  Washington,  it  might  be  to  Mobile,  per- 
adventure  to  Atlanta.  But  when  we  returned 
that  same  night,  up  the  still  waters  of  that  same 
river,  in  silence  and  in  darkness,  they  woke  to  their 
sad  mistake,  as  our  men  charged  with  a  victorious 
shout  on  their  works,  and  carried  everything  before 
them.  By  daylight  of  the  next  morning  the  splen 
did  artillery  of  the  Second  Corps  could  be  neard 
along  the  hostile  lines,  its  thunders  waking  from  their 
fitful  slumbers  the  guilty  dreamers  of  Eichmond. 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

The,  Weldon  Railroad  Captured  — Atlanta  Reduced— The  Victory 
at  Winchester  —  Hancock's  Command,  Alone  and  Unaided,  Re 
pulses  the  Enemy  and  Retains  the  Weldon  Road  —  Bayonet  to 
Bayonet,  the  Foe  are  driven  lack — One  of  the  Most  Desperate 
Struggles  of  the  War. 

THE  Union  forces  operating  on  the  north  bank 
of  the  James,  in  the  middle  of  August,  re 
mained  for  a  time  in  boding  silence.  Their  position 
was  one  of  great  strategic  importance.  It  was  a 
mystery  to  the  enemy.  They  dared  not  attempt  to 
dislodge  it,  for  they  knew  not  how  large  a  support 
might  be  awaiting  them  in  its  rear ;  and  yet  it  did 
not  seem  to  them  of  sufficient  magnitude  to  warrant, 
its  long  continued  advance. 

This  habit  of  mystifying  .the  enemy  by  his  move 
ments  had  become  a  fixed  one  with  GRANT.  It  was 
like  a  second  nature  with  him.  Heretofore,  in  nearly 
every  instance,  the  enemy  could  read  our  plans  of 
battle,  discern  and  predict  our  campaigns,  before  we 

(296) 


Hi:.  NEW  MOVEMENTS.  297 

nad  begun  to  develop  or  enter  upon  them.  Now, 
however,  the  case  was  widely  different.  If  Lee  was 
wily,  GRANT  was  equally  so.  If  Lee  was  good  at 
strategy,  GRANT  was  better.  If  Lee  was  great  at 
manoeuvring,  GRANT  was  greater.  The  history  of 
the  war  will  abundantly  prove  all  this  to  be  true. 

There  was  a  period,  during  this  diversion  of  HAN 
COCK  and  BIRXEY,  when  the  advance  front  of  our 
lines  was  within  six  miles  of  the  Secesh  capital.  The 
object  of  the  reconnoissance  was  soon-  attained.  It 
was  to  protect  our  men,  working,  at  Dutch  Gap,  on 
the  canal,  being  constructed  there  to  aid  our  ap 
proaches  to  the  city.  The  cavalry  of  GREGG  was 
posted  on  the  Charles  City  Eoad,  protecting  our 
right  wing,  the  left  flank  of  which  extended  to  the 
banks  of  the  James.  Lee  was  prevented,  by  this 
means,  from  interfering  with  our  workmen,  and 
taught  that  we  knew,  as  well  as  he,  that  there  was 
more  than  one  way  of  advancing  on  his  base.  By 
this  extension  of  our  forces  we  could  assail  both 
Richmond  an 3.  Petersburg  at  the  same  moment ;  and 
the  better  watch  the  immediate  movements  of  the 
enemy.  If  it  were  true,  as  the  Confederates  and 
their  sympathizers  so  blatantly  asserted,  that  'Rich 
mond  could  not  be  taken,'  GRANT,  his  Generals,  and 
liis  army,  could  not  see  it  in  that  point  of  light. 


298  WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

Our  continued  progress  had  further  developed  the 
position  of  the  enemy.  In  a  spirited  engagement 
we  had  captured  four  hundred  more  prisoners,  and 
killed  two  general  officers  —  Charnblin  audGherrard 
—  their  bodies  being  left  in  our  hands.  All  our 
plans  and  combinations  were  proved  to  be  effective; 
the  signs  of  its  coming  doom  were  concentrating 
more  and  more  closely  around  the  focus  of  the  re 
bellion.  It  was  evident  to  all  reflecting  minds  that 
there  must  be  more  severe  fighting,  and  that  .Rich 
mond  and  vicinity  were  yet  to  contain  many  other 
sanguinary  fields,  ere  the  war  could  be  brought  to 
an  honorable  and  permanent  close. 

It  was  now  past  the  middle  of  August.  Many 
attacks  were  made  on  our  lines,  but  they  were  in 
variably  repulsed.  Obstacles  to  the  progress  of  the 
Union  arms  that  had  been  potential  in  former  cam 
paigns,  failed  to  retard  us  now.  The  siege  of  Eich- 
mond  was  a  fixed  fact.  Nothing  seemed  to  relax  our 
hold  on  the  central  power  of  the  enemy.  Every 
thing  transpired  to  prove  that  the  final  victory  over 
the  army  of  Lee  vrould  terminate  the  struggle  in  the 
complete  restorati  m  of  the  Union. 

On  the  morning  of  the  18th  of  August,  our  troops 
made  a  most  important  movement.  They  crossed 
from  their  seemingly  quiet  position,  and,  by  rapid 


HIS  NEW  MO VEMENTS.  299 

advances,  captured  and  held  certain  strong  points  on 
the  Weldon  railroad.  Severe  fighting  ensued ;  but 
we  held  all  that  we  had  gained,  capturing  a  consider 
able  number  of  prisoners  from  Heth's,  Mahone's,  and 
Hoke's  divisions  —  some  of  the  best  of  the  Southern 
forces. 

Meanwhile  the  continued  efforts  of  the  enemy  to 
dislodge  us  from  the  north  bank  of  the  James,  were 
all  futile.  We  remained  in  our  positions,  and  en 
trenched. 

There  was  a  surprise  of  our  lines  on  the  Weldon 
road  during  the  night  of  the  20th  of  August,  in 
which  we  lost  some  guns  and  prisoners.  But  it  was 
soon  recovered  from  them ;  and,  while  our  entrench 
ments  were  increased  and  materially  strengthened, 
other  measures  were  promptly  adopted  to  prevent  a 
similar  occurrence  in  the  future. 

The  tenacity  of  GRANT  exceeded  any  thing  pre 
viously  displayed  by  him,  in  any  of  his  movements. 
At  each  attempt  of  the  enemy  to  move  him  from  his 
hold,  he  grasped  it  all  the  more  firmly.  He  was 
furiously  attacked  during  several  successive  days ; 
and  each  engagement  gave  him  a  new  victory.  We 
more  than  regained  the  number  of  prisoners  we  had 
lost  in  the  previous  surprise.  At  the  last  of  these 
onsets  four  active  Generals  were  killed  and  we  anded. 


300  WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

It  was  perfectly  evident  that  the  enemy  could  not 
dislodge  us  from  the  coveted  strategic  points.  By 
the  25th  of  August  it  became  apparent  that  they  had 
desisted,  at  least  for  the  present,  from  all  attempts  to 
repossess  them. 

Comparatively  quiet  possession  of  the  road  now 
being  obtained,  our  forces  proceeded  thoroughly  to 
destroy  all  those  portions  of  it  under  their  imme 
diate  control.  The  work  was  quickly  and  effectually 
done.  Our  men  divided  their  forces  to  the  best  ad 
vantage.  A  part  worked  night  and  day  in  complet 
ing  fortifications;  the  soldier  o.f  one  hour  was  the 
digger  of  the  next ;  the  musket  and  the  spade  inter 
changed  with  each  other  in  the  ramparts,  at  regular 
intervals ;  while  the  silent  cannon,  glistening  in  the 
sun,  or  glimmering  in  the  light  of  army  lanterns, 
pushed  out  their  open  mouths  over  the  heads  of  the 
men,  as  their  grim  defenders,  ready  to  plead  for  the 
continuance  of  their  industry,  at  a  moment's  warning. 

The  "Weldon  railroad  was  ours. 

Kichmond  papers,  coming  within  our  now  pro 
tected  lines,  acknowledged,  with  ill-concealed  shame, 
their  loss  of  this  important  position.  They  taunted 
us  with  endeavoring  to  starve  them  out  of  their 
stronghold ;  as  if  they  had  not  attempted  the  same 
thing  with  us,  every  time  they  had  the  opportunity. 


DEFENDS  THE  WELD  ON  R  OA D.  301 

The  first  division  of  the  Second  Corps  weie  among 
the  most  active  of  all  our  troops  in  destroying  this 
necessary  means  of  army  communication.  They 
were  accustomed  to  labor ;  and  these  fighting  work 
men  were  not  ashamed  to  work  hard  here,  in  so  good 
a  cause.  They  completely  destroyed  the  road ;  tearing 
up  and  burning  it,  from  the  first  point  of  conquest 
to  Eeams's  station,  and  for  a  distance  of  three  miles 
beyond.  The  whole  line  held  by  our  forces  at  that 
place  was  nearly  eight  miles. 

Another  desperate  attempt  was  made  by  the  enemy 
to  regain  possession  of  the  road  toward  evening  of 
the  27th  of  August.  The  attack  was  made  on  HAN 
COCK,  who  was  stationed  at  an  exposed  point,  isolated 
from  the  main  line — as  was  so  often  his  position,  far 
in  the  advance. 

The  attack  began  south  of  Eeams's  station,  and 
was  made  with  great  desperation.  But  he  met  it 
>\rith  all  his  unflinching  valor,  and  gave,  it  a  severe 
repulse.  It  was  a  combined  assault  on  his  centre 
and  left.  Support  was  out  of  the  question.  He 
took  up  the  gage  of  battle  single-handed,  and  fought 
it  out  on  that  line.  The  fight  was  one  of  the  fiercest 
of  any  field,  of  any  campaign.  But  he  met  the 
enemy  at  every  point,  and  drove  them,  routed,  from 

20 


302  WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

the  field.  Their  dead  and  wounded,  which  were 
numerous,  were  left  in  our  hands. 

This  attack  was  evidently  intended  to  be  simul 
taneous  against  HANCOCK,  by  Wilcox  on  his  centre, 
and  Heth  on  his  left.  They  had  expected  to  find 
him  scattered,  busy  at  the  work  of  railroad  destmc- 
tion,  and,  comparatively,  unprepared.  They  were 
mistaken.  He  was  ready  for  them.  Exposed  as  his 
position  was,  he  defended  it  with  such  vigor  and 
skill  that  they  were  completely  foiled. 

Forming  in  the  adjacent  woods,  placing  their  artil 
lery  so  as  to  be  ambushed,  and,  at  the  same  time,  to 
enfilade  our  lines,  the  enemy  flattered  themselves  with 
a  sudden  scare  on  the  part  of  HANCOCK,  and  an  easy 
conquest  on  theirs.  He  very  soon  undeceived  them. 
Their  cannonading  was  heavy,  lasting  a  considerable 
time.  They  then  massed  under  cover,  and  charged 
on  our  unprotected  columns.  'But  our  men  dropped 
their  work  instantly,  seized  their  rifles  with  a  rush, 
swept  into  line  like  a  wave  of  the  sea  rolling  on  the 
even  beach,  and  met  the  shock  of  arms  without  a 
waver.  Bayonet  clashed  with  bayonet,  sword  with 
sword,  in  rapid  succession.  Hand  to  hand,  foot  to 
foot,  shoulder  to  shoulder,  face  to  face,  our  men  held 
every  inch  of  their  ground,  taking  not  a  step  back 
ward  from  the  foe,  but  hurling  him  in  defiance  along 


DEFENDS  THE  WELD  ON  ROAD.  303 

the  earth,  in  every  instance,  where  there  was  any- 
thing  like  an  equality  of  forces.  In  one  or  two  cases, 
where  the  numbers  of  the  enemy  were  overpowering, 
and  a  slight  foothold  was  gained  by  them,  our  men 
rushed  from  one  weak  point  to  another,  strengthen 
ing  each  other's  hands,  cheering  one  another  to  the 
onset,  until  the  union  was  secured,  the  enemy  were 
driven  back,  and  our  original  position  regained  and 
held.  Our  troops  rushed  from  right  to  left,  in  aid 
of  the  assailed  columns,  beating  back  the  repeated 
assaults  from  the  weaker  points,  and  massing  into 
stronger  lines  of  defence. 

General  GIBBON  displayed  great  courage  and 
presence  of  mind  on  this  occasion.  He  checked  the 
advancing  foes  in  the  midst  of  one  of  their  most 
furious  onsets,  and  hurled  them  back  in  confusion. 
General  GREGG,  with  his  dismounted  cavalry,  render 
ed  important  service.  His  improvised  infantry  were 
handled  in  the  most  handsome  manner ;  meeting  the 
enemy  in  a  way  for  which  they  were  not  prepared 
The  command  of  MIL^S,  which  was  the  first  assailed, 
won  high  distinction,  notwithstanding  ita  scattered 
condition.  The  General  ar.d  his  staff  officers  behaved 
with  great  gallantry,  and  leceived  the  commendation 
of  HANCOCK,  on  the  field. 

This  severe  fight  was  continued  through  the  after- 


304:  WINFIELD,    THE  LAWYER'S  SON". 

noon,  until  dark ;  the  enemy  being  held  in  check 
by  artillery,  dismounted  cavalry,  and  skirmishers. 
General  HANCOCK  speaks  of  it  as  acknowledged  to 
have  been  one  of  the  most  determined  and  desperate 
conflicts  of  the  war ;  resembling  Spottsylvania  in  its 
character.  Had  there  been  more  troops  at  his  com 
mand,  at  the  moment,  the  victory  would  have  been 
still  more  decisive. 

A  considerable  number  of  prisoners  were  sent 
forward  from  the  divisions  of  Wilcox  and  Heth. 

The  enemy  disappeared  from  the  hard-fought  field, 
evidently  much  discomfited,  leaving  his  dead  and 
wounded  in  our  hands.  Their  losses  were  admitted 
by  prisoners  to  have  been  greater,  in  proportion, 
than  any  they  had  experienced  during  the  war. 

The  object  of  HANCOCK  in  the  temporary  occu 
pation  of  his  portion  of  the  road  was  attained,  and 
our  onward  movements  continued  to  progress.  The 
Southern  press  acknowledged  severe  losses  in  this  fierce 
action  with  HANCOCK,  four  of  their  general  officers 
being  among  the  number.  The  destruction  of  the 
road  contiguous  to  Reams's  Station  by  the  Second 
Corps  had  been  so  thorough  that  the  enemy  were 
compelled  to  transport  all  their  stores  from  that  point 
by  means  of  army  wagons,  over  difficult  byways. 
They  would  have  had  but  little  even  of  these  with 


NEW  UNIJN  TRIUMPHS.  305 

which,  to  supply  their  increasing  wants,  had  it  not 
been  for  the  support  afforded  them  by  their  foreign 
allies,  who  managed  to  evade  our  blockade  at  Wil 
mington.  The  best  of  their  arms  and  munitions  of 
war  had  come  to  their  diminished  camps  from  this 
alien  source ;  their  dependence  for  them  on  other  parts 
of  the  seceding  States  being  now  materially  lessened 
by  the  capture  of  more  Southern  positions.  The 
strong  point  of  Atlanta,  Georgia,  was  rendered  com 
paratively  useless  to  the  rebellion,  by  the  consum 
mate  strategy  and  invincible  courage  of  SHERMAN, 
in  co-operation  with  the  indomitable  FARRAGUT,  at 
Mobile,  Alabama,  and  the  gallant  SHERIDAN,  in  the 
Valley  of  Virginia.  The  glorious  news  soon  came 
that  Atlanta  was  ours.  The  able  General  Hood,  on 
whom  so  much  dependence  had  been  placed  by  the 
Confederate  authorities,  was  compelled  to  evacuate 
that  south-western  stronghold,  leaving  in  our  pos 
session  all  its  defences,  a  large  number  of  prisoners, 
and  an  immense  supply  of  munitions  of  war. 

Repeated  attempts  continued  to  be  made  by  Lee  to 
regain  possession  of  the  much  needed  Weldon  road. 
But  they  all  failed.  Every  attack  was  gallantly  re 
pulsed,  and  we  held  on.  The  spirits  of  the  army  re 
mained  as  exultanj  as  ever.  There  was  no  such  word 
as  fail  in  all  our  increasing  ranks.  President  LIN- 
26*  '  U 


306  WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

COLX  issued  a  special  Order,  as  Commander  in  Chief 
of  the  Army  and  Navy,  recapitulating  the  victories 
won  by  General  SHERMAN  and  Admiral  FARRAGUT, 
returning  thanks  to  the  soldiers  and  seamen  con 
cerned,  for  their  glorious  achievements,  and  calling 
on  the  people  of  the  United  States  to  assemble  in 
their  respective  places  of  public  worship,  to  render 
thanks  to  ALMIGHTY  GOD  for  these  signal  proofs  of 
the  Divine  favor  on  the  Union  arms.  A  salute  of 
one  hundred  shotted  guns  was  ordered  by  General 
GRANT,  in  honor  of  these  great  victories. 

Meanwhile,  as  the  summer  closed,  and  the  month 
of  September  came  upon  us,  our  advance  toward 
Richmond  steadily  continued.  It  was  as  rapid  as 
such  siege  approaches  could  be  made,  consistent  with 
a  due  regard  to  the  lives  of  our  men,  and  our  bases 
of  operations.  Every  day  of  the  months  devoted  to 
the  conquest  of  Richmond  city  had  been  profitably 
employed.  Not  an  hour,  not  a  moment,  had  been 
lost  in  idle  inactivity  or  supine  indifference.  The 
army  and  the  navy  efficiently  co-operated  with  each 
other,  and  the  prospect  of  ultimate  victory  over  the 
secession  was  as  cheering  as  ever.  The  capture  of 
Richmond,  now  undertaken  in  downright  earnest, 
was  prosecuted  with  vigor,  although  the  plans  con 
templated  and  put  in  operation  by  the  Lieutenant- 


NEW  UNION  TRIUMPHS.  307 

General,  could  not,  with  proprie.y,  be  made  known 
to  tne  American  people,  quietly  pursuing  their  avo 
cations  at  home.  Delays,  which  they  could  neither 
understand  nor  appreciate,  were  necessary  to  the  suc 
cessful  termination  of  the  closing  scenes  of  the  great 
struggle. 

Vigorous  measures  were  constantly  in  progress. 
By  the  middle  of  September  large  masses  of  Union 
troops  were  stationed  at  different  points  on  the  rail 
roads,  a  few  miles  South  of  Petersburg.  Our  left 
line,  in  strong  force,  was  pushed  across  the  Weldon 
road,  to  a  mile  beyond  it,  on  the  west.  The  move 
ment  was  a  cause  of  some  excitement  among  the 
enemy,  who  watched  its  progress  with  the  deepest 
interest.  General  GKANT  does  not  appear  to  have 
taken  the  trouble  to  inform  them  what  it  all  meant. 
Probably  he  was  of  the  opinion  that  they  would  find 
it  out  themselves,  in  due  time.  At  all  events,  they 
took  the  hint  sufficiently  to  strengthen  their  entrench 
ments  in  that  immediate  neighborhood. 

In  order  to  render  our  operations  more  effective,  a 
railroad  was  constructed  by  our  able  engineer  corps 
from  City  Point,  on  the  James,  only  a  few  miles  south 
of  Kichmond,  to  a  convenient  terminus  on  the  Wei- 
don  road.  This  means  of  communication  was  soon 
opened  to  great  advantage,  the  arrival  of  the  first 


308  WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

trains  of  cars,  suitably  loaded,  being  received  with 
cheering  all  along  our  lines.  It  was  another  stretch 
of  the  conquering  chain  of  war  that  was  environing 
Richmond  —  a  chain  that  the  Confederates  had  with 
their  own  hands  forged,  and  from  the  coils  of  which 
they  were  soon  to  find  there  was  no  escape. 

Large  reinforcements  continued  to  swell  the  Union 
army  under  GRANT,  who  quickly  massed  them  on 
his  left,  immediately  confronting  the  rebel  right. 
"Where  they  came  from,  and  what  the  hero  of  Yicks- 
burg  was  going  to  do  with  them,  seemed  to  pass  the 
foe's  comprehension.  His  movements,  on  all  hands, 
continued  to  be  to  them  a  profound  mystery.  This 
was  exactly  what  he  intended.  "When  the  time 
should  come  —  and  he,  of  all  men,  knew  when  that 
time  would  come — he  was  prepared  to  encircle  Peters 
burg,  as  he  had  Yicksburg,  with  a  grasp  that  would 
either  compel  its  evacuation  or  destruction.  For  rea 
sons  creditable  to  his  noble  soldierly  qualities,  he 
much  preferred  the  former  to  the  latter  alternative. 

Matters  rerr  ained  in  this  favorable  condition,  when, 
after  a  short  visit  to  the  headquarters  of  General 
SHERIDAN  by  the  Lieutenant  General,  the  Army  of 
the  Shenandoah  suddenly  moved  on  the  enemy,  and 
won  the  splendid  victory  before  Winchester,  Virginia, 
which  occurred  on  the  19th  of  September.  By  a 


NEW  UNION  TRIUMPHS.  309 

series  of  rapid  engagements,  commencing,  very  pro 
perly,  axt  Bunker  Hill,  Sheridan  drove  the  enemy  from 
all  their  positions,  killing  large  numbers,  capturing 
several  thousand  prisoners,  a  large  supply  of  provi 
sions  and  many  munitions  of  war.  The  rout  of  the 
enemy  was  complete,  continuing  through  a  series  of 
battles,  at  different  points,  to  Staunton,  Virginia,  when 
the  towfl.  was  possessed,  with  all  the  adjacent  region,  and 
much  of  the  Confederate  property  destroyed.  Every 
position  was  temporarily  held  for  strategic  purposes, 
and  a  blow  inflicted  on  the  secession  in  that  quarter 
of  the  country  from  which  it  never  could  recover. 

The  effect  of  this  brilliant  victory  on  the  army 
before  Richmond  can  be  well  conceived.  It  cheered 
every  loyal  heart.  It  strengthened  every  patriotic 
arm.  It  had  been  won  in  accordance  with  plans  pre 
viously  laid  down  by  GRANT,  and  was  designed  to 
aid  hinifin  his  immediate  movements  on  the  enemy's 
capital  and  its  surroundings. 

On  the  30th  of  September  another  onward  move 
ment  began.  The  Tenth  Corps,  under  BIRNEY,  co 
operating  with  other  selected  bodies  of  veteran 
troops,  moved  on  the  strong  entrenchments  of  the 
enemy,  at  Chapin's  Farm,  the  nearest  point  to  Eich- 
mond  yet  reached,  and  carried  them  by  storm.  The 
hostile  line  was  found  to  be  thin,  and  the  embankments, 


310  W1NFIEL1),  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

which  were  among  the  strongest  thrown  up  around 
the  rebel  capital,  were  defended  by  only  a  small  force. 
The  subsequent  attempts  made  by  the  enemy  to  re 
take  these  commanding  approaches  to  Bichmond 
were  so  easily  repulsed  that  the  impression  began  to 
prevail  in  certain  quarters  that  Lee  would  evacuate 
his  capital  and  thus  surrender  his  base  of  operations. 
But  GRANT,  and  those  who  better  comprehended  the 
strategy  of  the  Confederate  leader,  knew  better  than 
ihis.  He  and  they  were  perfectly  assured  that  there 
must  be  much  more  severe  fighting  at  this  point, 
before  the  rebellion  would  be  subdued. 

On  the  2d  of  October,  HANCOCK  advanced  a  por 
tion  of  his  Corps  to  a  point  considerably  nearer  the 
enemy.  He  took  possession  of  the  Boynton  road, 
over  which  the  enemy  had  been  carrying  their  sup 
plies,  in  wagons,  to  Petersburg.  Two  lines  of  works 
were  found  unoccupied.  A  skirmish  line  opposed 
our  advance,  but  gradually  fell  back  before  the  con 
tinued  attacks  of  our  troops. 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 

The  Battle  of  Gettysburg  described  by  General  Hancock  —  Full  De 
tails  of  the  Fiyht  that  Saved  Philadelphia  —  The  Order  that  Placed 
General  Hancock  over  General  Howard  —  The  Second  and  Third 
Divisions  of  the  Second  Corps  Bear  the  Brunt  of  Battle. 

PAUSING  for  a  brief  space  in  our  record  of  Gen 
eral  HANCOCK'S  war  career,  now  rapidly  draw- 
Ing  to  a  close  so  far  as  active  service  at  tlie  front  is 
concerned,  it  will  be  interesting  here  to  retrace  our 
steps  over  the  fields  of  carnage,  to  introduce,  in  our 
hero's  own  words,  a  description  of  the  ever-memo 
rable  three  days'  struggle  around  the  Heights  of 
Gettysburg ;'  that  fierce  and  bloody  conflict  between 
the  desperate  atid  determined  invaders  of  the  Key 
stone  State  and  the  equally  resolute  defenders  of  her 
sacred  soil ;  that  bitter  battle  upon  which  hung  the 
fate  of  Philadelphia.  We  quote,  therefore,  from 
General  HANCOCK'S  evidence  given  on  March  22, 
1864,  before  the  Committee  on  the  Conduct  of  the 
War,  then  in  session  at  Washington.  He  commences 
by  alluding  to  the  receipt  of  Major-General  BUTTER- 
FIELD'S  order,  which  we  here  insert. 


(311) 


312  WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  ROW 

HEADQUARTERS  ARMY  OF  THE  POTOMAC, 

July  1,  1863,  1.10  P.  M. 
COMMANDING  OFFICER,  SECOND  CORPS  (GENERAL  HANCOCK): 

The  Major-General  commanding  has  just  been  informed  that 
General  REYNOLDS  has  been  killed  or  badly  wounded.  He  directs 
that  you  turn  over  the  command  of  your  Corps  to  G  cneral  GIBBON  : 
that  you  proceed  to  the  front,  and  by  virtue  of  this  order,  in  case 
of  the  truth  of  General  REYNOLDS' s  death,  you  assume  command  of 
the  corps  there  assembled,  viz.,  the  llth,  1st  and  3d,  at  Emmetts- 
burg.  If  you  think  the  ground  and  position  there  a  better  one  to 
fight  a  battle  under  existing  circumstances,  you  will  so  advise  the 
General,  and  he  will  order  all  the  troops  up.  You  know  the  Gen 
eral's  views,  and  General  WARREN,  who  is  fully  aware  of  them, 
has  gone  out  to  see  General  REYNOLDS. 

LATER,  1.15  p.  M. —  REYNOLDS  has  possession  of  Gettysburg,  and 
the  enemy  are  reported  as  falling  back  from  in  front  of  Gettys 
burg.  Hold  your  column  ready  to  move. 

Very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

D.  BUTTERFIELD, 

Major-General  and  Chief  of  Staff. 

After  referring  to  this  order,  the  General  said :  "I 
started  a  little  before  half-past  one,  turning  over  the 
command  of  my  corps  to  General  GIBBON,  under 
General  MEADE'S  directions.  General  GIBBON  rvas 
not  the  next  in  rank  in  that  corps ;  but  he  was  the 
one  General  MEADE  directed  should  assume  the  com 
mand,  as  he  considered  him  the  most  suitable  person 
for  it. 

"  Several  such  instances  occurred  during  that  bat- 


GETTYSBURG— PERSONAL  NARRATIVE.     313 

tie.  General  MEADE,  prior  to  the  battle,  showed  me 
or  told  me  of  a  letter  he  had  received  from  the  Sec 
retary  of  War  on  this  subject.  The  Government  re 
cognizing  the  difficulty  of  the  situation,  believing 
that  a  battle  was  imminent,  and  might  occur  in  one, 
two,  or  three  days,  and  not  knowing  the  views  of 
General  MEADE  in  relation  to  his  commanders,  the 
Secretary  of  War  wrote  him  a  note,  authorizing  him 
to  make  any  changes  in  his  army  that  he  pleased, 
and  that  he  would  be  sustained  by  the  President  and 
himself.  That  did  not  make  it  legal,  because  it  was 
contrary  to  the  law  to  place  a  junior  officer  over  a 
senior.  At  the  same  time  it  was  one  of  those*  emer 
gencies  in  which  General  MEADE  was  authorized,  as 
before  stated,  to  exercise  that  power.  I  was  not  the 
senior  of  either  General  HOWARD,  of  the  Eleventh 
Corps,  or  General  SICKLES,  of  the  Third  Corps.  My 
commission  bore  date  on  the  same  day  with  theirs ; 
by  my  prior  commission  they  both  ranked  me.  Of 
course,  it  was  not  a  very  agreeable  office  for  me  to 
fill,  to  go  and  take  command  of  my  seniors.  How 
ever,  I  did  not  feel  much  embarrassment  about  it, 
because  I  was  an  older  soldier  than  either  of  them. 
But  I  knew  that  legally  it  was  not  proper,  and  that, 
if  they  chose  to  resist  it,  it  might  become  a  very 

troublesome    matter    to    me    for    the    time  -  being 
27 


314  WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

Whether  or  not  General  MEADB,  when  he  gave  me 
the  order,  knew  about  this  relative  rank,  I  do  not 
know.  I  say  this  because  I  have  since  understood 
that  he  did  not.  When  I  spoke  to  him  about  it  be 
fore  departing,  however,  he  remarked  in  substance 
that  he  was  obliged  to  use  such  persons  as  he  felt 
disposed  to  use ;  that  in  this  case  he  sent  me  because 
he  had  explained  his  views  to  me,  and  had  not  ex 
plained  them  to  the  others;  that  I  knew  his  plans 
and  ideas,  and  could  better  accord  with  him  in  my 
operations  than  anybody  else.  I  went  to  Gettysburg, 
arriving  on  the  ground  not  later  than  half-past  three 
o'clock.  I  found  that,  practically,  the  fight  was  then 
over.  The  rear  of  our  column,  with  the  enemy  in 
pursuit,  was  then  corning  through  the  town  of  Get 
tysburg.  General  HOWARD  was  on  Cemetery  Hill, 
and  there  had  evidently  been  an  attempt  on  his  part 
to  stop  and  form  some  of  his  troops  there ;  what 
troops  he  had  formed  there,  I  do  not  know.  I  un 
derstood  afterwards,  and  accepted  it  as  the  fact,  that 
he  had  formed  one  division  there  prior  to  this  time. 
I  told  General  HOWARD  I  had  orders  to  take  com 
mand  in  the  front.  I  did  not  show  him  the  orders, 
because  he  did  not  demand  it.  He  acquiesced. 

"I  exercised  the  command   until  evening,   when 
General  SLOCUM  arrived,  about  six  or  seven  o'clock 


GETTYSBURG— PERSONAL  NARRATIVE.     315 

His  troops  were  in  the  neighborhood,  for  they  appar 
ently  had  been  summoned  up  before  I  arrived,  by 
General   HOWARD   possibly,  as   well   as   the   Third 
Corps.     "When  General   SLOCUM  arrived,  he  being 
tny  senior,  and  not  included  in  this  order  to  me,  I 
turned  the  command  over  to  him.     In  fact,  I  was  in 
structed  verbally  by  General  BUTTERFIELD,  Chief  of 
Staff,  before  I  left  for  the  front,  that  I  was  to  do  so. 
"  When  I  arrived  and  took  command,  I  extended 
the  lines.     I  sent  General  WADSWORTH  to  the  right 
to  takf,  possession  of  Gulp's  Hill  with  his  division. 
I  directed  General  GEARY,  whose  division  belonged  to 
the  Twelfth  Corps  (its  commander,  General  SLOCUM, 
not  then  having  arrived),  to  take  possession  of  the 
high  ground  towards  Eound  Top.     I  made  such  dis 
position  as  I  thought  wise  and  proper.     The  enemy, 
evidently  believing  that  we  were  reinforced,  or  that 
our  whole  army  was  there,  discontinued  their  great 
efforts,  and  the  battle  for  that  day  was  virtually  over. 
There  was  firing  of  artillery  and   skirmishing   all 
along  the  front,  but  that  was  the  end  of  that  day's 
battle.     By  verbal   instructions,   and   in   the   order 
which  I  had  received  from  General  MEADE,  I  was 
directed  to  report,  after  having  arrived  on  the  ground, 
whether  it  would  be  necessary  or  wise  to  continue 
to  fight  the  battle  at  Gettysburg,  or  whether  it  was 


316  WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

possible  for  the  fight  to  be  had  on  the  ground  Gen 
eral  MEADE  had  selected.  About  four  o'clock,  P.M., 
I  sent  word  by  Major  MITCHELL,  aide-de-camp  to 
General  MEADE,  that  I  would  hold  the  ground  until 
dark,  meaning  to  allow  him  time  to  decide  the  mat 
ter  for  himself.  As  soon  as  I  had  gotten  matters 
arranged  to  my  satisfaction,  and  saw  that  the  troops 
were  being  formed  again,  and  I  felt  secure,  I  wrote 
a  note  to  General  MEADE,  and  informed  him  of  my 
views  of  the  ground  at  Gettysburg.  I  told  him  that 
the  only  disadvantage  which  I  thought  it  had  was 
that  it  could  be  readily  turned  by  way  of  Emmetts- 
burg,  and  that  the  roads  were  clear  for  any  move 
ment  he  might  make.  I  had  ordered  all  the  trains 
back,  as  I  came  up,  to  clear  the  roads. 

"  General  MEADE  had  directed  my  corps,  the  Sec 
ond  Corps,  to  march  up  towards  Gettysburg,  under  the 
command  of  General  GIBBON.  When  I  found  that 
the  enemy  had  ceased  their  operations,  I  directed 
General  GIBBON  to  halt  his  corps  two  or  three  miles 
behind  Gettysburg,  in  order  to  protect  our  rear  from 
any  flank  movement  of  the  enemy.  Then  my  oper 
ations  in  the  front  being  closed,  I  turned  the  com 
mand  over  to  General  SLOCUM,  and  immediately 
started  to  report  to  General  MEADE  in  detail  what  I 
had  done,  in  order  to  express  my  views  clearly  to 


GETTYSBURG— PERSONAL  NARRATIVE.     317 

him,  and  to  see  what  he  was  disposed  to  do.  I  rode 
back,  and  found  General  MEADE  about  nine  o'clock. 
lie  told  me  he  had  received  my  messages  and  note, 
and  had  decided,  upon  the  representations  I  had 
made,  and  the  existence  of  known  facts  of  the  case, 
to  fight  at  Gettysburg,  and  had  ordered  all  the  corps 
to  the  front.  That  was  the  end  of  operations  for 
that  day. 

"  On  the  third  day,  in  the  morning,  the  enemy  and 
General  SLOCUM  were  a  good  deal  engaged.  About 
one  or  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  the  enemy  com 
menced  a  terrific  cannonade,  from  probably  one  hun 
dred  and  twenty  pieces  of  artillery,  on  the  front  of 
the  line  connecting  Cemetery  Hill  with  Bound  Top, 
the  left  centre  commanded  by  me.  That  line  con 
sisted  of  the  1st,  2d,  and  3d  Corps,  of  which  I  had 
the  general  command.  I  commanded  that  whole  front. 
General  GIBBON  commanded  the  Second  Corps  in  my 
absence,  General  NEWTON  the  First  Corps,  and  Gen 
eral  BIKNEY  the  Third.  That  cannonade  continued  for 
probably  an  hour  and  a  half.  The  enemy  then  made 
an  assault  at  the  end  of  that  time.  It  was  a  very 
formidable  assault,  and  made,  I  should  judge,  with 
about  18,000  infantry.  When  the  columns  of  the 
enemy  appeared,  it  looked  as  if  they  were  going  to 
attack  the  centre  of  our  line,  but,  after  marching 
27* 


318  WINFIELD,  THE  LA  WYER  >S  SON. 

straight  out  a  little  distance,  they  seemed  to  incline 
a  little  to  their  left,  as  if  their  object  was  to  march 
through  my  command,  and  seize  Cemetery  Hill, 
which,  I  have  no  doubt,  was  their  intention.  They 
attacked  with  wonderful  spirit ;  nothing  could  have 
been  more  spirited.  The  shock  of  the  assault  fell 
upon  the  2d  and  3d  Divisions  of  the  Second  Corps,  as 
sisted  by  a  small  brigade  of  Vermont  troops,  together 
with  the  artillery  of  our  line,  which  fired  from  Bound 
Top  to  Cemetery  Hill  at  the  enemy  all  the  way  as 
they  advanced,  whenever  they  had  the  opportunity. 
Those  were  the  troops  that  really  met  the  assault. 
No  doubt  there  were  other  troops  that  fired  a  little, 
but  those  were  the  troops  that  really  withstood  the 
shock  of  the  assault  and  repulsed  it.  The  attack  of 
the  enemy  was  met  by  about  six  small  brigades  of 
our  troops,  and  was  finally  repulsed  after  a  terrific 
contest  at  very  close  quarters,  in  which  our  troops 
took  about  thirty  or  forty  colors  and  some  4000  to 
5000  prisoners,  with  great  loss  to  the  enemy  in  killed 
and  wounded.  The  repulse  was  a  most  signal  one, 
and  that  decided  the  battle,  and  was  practically  the 
end  of  the  fight.'  I  was  wounded  at  the  close  of  the 
assault,  and  that  ended  my  operations  with  the  arnry 
for  that  campaign.  I  did  not  follow  it  in  its  future 
movements. 


GETTYSBURG— PERSONAL  NARRATIVE.     319 

"  Tliis  practically  ended  the  fighting  of  the  battle  of 
Gettysburg.  There  was  no  serious  fighting  there 
after  that,  save  on  the  left,  in  an  advance  by  a  small 
command  of  the  Pennsylvania  Keserves,  made  very 
soon  afterwards,  and  based  upon  our  success.  I  may 
say  one  thing  here :  I  think  it  was  probably  an  un 
fortunate  thing  that  I  was  wounded  at  the  time  I 
was,  and  equally  unfortunate  that  General  GIBBON 
was  also  wounded ;  because  the  absence  of  a  promi 
nent  commander,  who  knew  the  circumstances  thor 
oughly  at  such  a  moment  as  that,  was  a  great  disad 
vantage.  I  think  that  our  lines  should  have  ad 
vanced  immediately,  and  I  believe  we  should  have 
won  a  great  victory.  I  was  very  confident  that  the 
advance  would  be  made.  General  MEAUE  told  me 
before  the  fight  that  if  the  enemy  attacked  me,  he 
intended  to  put  the  Fifth  and  Sixth  Corps  on  the 
enemy's  flank;  therefore,  when  I  was  wounded  and 
lying  down  in  my  ambulance,  and  about  leaving  the 
field,  I  dictated  a  note  to  General  MEADE,  and  told 
him  if  he  would  put  in  the  Fifth  and  Sixth  Corps,  I 
believed  he  would  win  a  great  victory.  I  asked  him 
afterwards,  when  I  returned  to  the  army,  what  he 
had  done  in  the  premises.  He  said  he  had  ordered 
the  movement,  but  the  troops  were  slow  in  collecting, 
and  moved-  so  slowly  that  nothing  was  done  before 


320  WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

night,  except  that  some  of  the  Pennsylvania  Reserves 
went  out  and  met  Hood's  division,  it  was  understood, 
of  the  enemy,  and  actually  overthrew  it,  assisted,  no 
doubt,  in  some  measure,  by  their  knowledge  of  their 
failure  in  the  assault.  There  were  only  two  divisions 
of  the  enemy  on  our  extreme  left,  opposite  Round 
Top,  and  there  was  a  gap  in  their  line  of  one  mile 
that  their  assault  had  left,  and  I  believe  if  our  whole 
line  had  advanced  with  spirit,  it  is  not  unlikely  that 
we  would  have  taken  all  their  artillery  at  that  point. 
I  think  that  was  a  fault ;  that  we  should  have  pushed 
the  enemy  there,  for  we  do  not  often  catch  them  in 
that  position ;  and  the  rule  is,  and  it  is  natural,  that 
when  you  repulse  or  defeat  an  enemy,  you  should 
pursue  him ;  and  I  believe  it  is  a  rare  thing  that  one 
party  beats  another  and  does  not  pursue  him  ;  and  I 
think  that  on  that  occasion  it  only  required  an  order 
and  prompt  execution. 

"  I  have  no  doubt  the  enemy  regarded  the  success 
of  their  assault  as  certain,  so  much  so  that  they  were 
willing  to  expend  all  their  ammunition.  They  did 
not  suppose  that  any  troops  could  live  under  that 
cannonade;  but  they  met  troops  that  had  been  so 
accustomed  to  artillery  fire  that  it  did  not  have  the 
*ffect  on  them  thai  they  expected.  It  was  a  most 


GETTYSBURG  —  PERSONAL  NARRATIVE.      321 

terrific  and  appalling  cannonade, — one  possibly  hardly 
ever  paralleled. 

"  Question.  —  Was  there  ever,  in  any  battle  of 
which  you  have  read,  more  artillery  brought  into 
action  than  in  that  battle? 

"  Answer.  —  I  doubt  whether  there  has  ever  been 
more  concentrated  upon  an  equal  space  and  opening 
at  one  time.  I  think  there  has  been  more  artillery 
engaged  in  many  battles,  but  do  not  believe  there 
has  been  more  upon  both  sides  concentrated  on  an 
equal  space. 

"  Question.  —  You  did  not  follow  the  army  from 
there  ? 

"Answer.  —  No,  sir;  I  left  the  field  the  moment 
the  fight  was  over. 

"  Question.  —  When  did  you  join  the  army  again? 

"Answer. —  I  did  not  join  it  again  until  some  time 
in  December,  when  active  operations  had  ceased.  I 
was  then  ordered  by  the  Secretary  of  War  into  the 
States  from  whence  the  regiments  of  my  corps  came 
to  fill  them  up  by  recruitment,  and  I  am  now  on  my 
return  to  the  army. 

"  Question.  —  But,  with  equal  numbers,  you  would 
not  hesitate  to  attack  the  enemy  anywhere  under 
equal  circumstances? 

"Answer.  —  No,  sir ;  I  would  not.     In  fact,  there 
V 


322  WINFIELD,  THE  LA  WYER'S  SON. 

is  no  finer  army,  if  as  fine,  in  existence  in  the  world 
than  the  Army  of  the  Potomac.     The  troops  will  do 
anything  if  they  are  only  ordered.     If  they  have  not 
made  this  or  that  attack,  it  is  because  their  com 
n? anders  did  not  order  them  to  make  it." 

In  this  statement  we  have  a  complete  epitome  of 
General  HANCOCK'S  character,  since  it  demonstrates 
his  prompt  and  unquestioning  obedience  to  orders, 
his  fearless  bravery,  his  keen  and  rapid  appreciation 
of  military  positions,  and  not  less  his  innate  courtesy, 
his  delicate  appreciation  of  the  feelings  of  others,  and 
that  modest  self-abnegation  which  has  ever  been  one 
of  his  marked  characteristics.  One  sentence  em 
bodies  this :  "I  think  it  was  probably  an  unfortunate 
thing  that  I  was  wounded  at  the  time  I  was."  Not 
a  word  as  to  the  fearful  peril  in  which  he  had  been 
placed;  not  a  sigh  of  anguish,  as  his  severe  wound 
was  even  then,  probably,  administering  sharp  re 
minders,  but  merely  the  regret  of  the  soldier  that  he 
was  prevented  from  completing  the  work  in  hand, 
and  thus  reaping  for  his  country  the  fruits  of  the 
great  victory  which  his  valor  had  practically  placed 
within  grasp.  Lying  wounded  in  his  ambulance,  he 
suggested  a  movement  which,  if  it  had  been  carried 
out,  would  doubtless  have  saved  many  months  of 
hard  fighting  afterwards. 


CHAPTER  XXXIII. 

Brigadier- General  Hancock  —  Battles  of  Tolopatomoy  Creek,  North 
Anna,  Cold  Harbor,  the  Sanguinary  Chickahominy,  Deep  Bottom, 
Reams' s  Station,  and  Boydton  Plank-Road —  TJie  End  of  his  Fight 
ing  Career — An  Important  Mission  Conferred  upon  him. 

RESUMING  our  narrative,  we  may  mention  here 
that  the  rank  of  Brigadier-General  was  con 
ferred  upon  General  HANCOCK  for  the  brilliant  action 
of  May  12th.  The  next  engagement  of  any  note 
was  at  Tolopatomoy  Creek,  on  May  30th,  HAN 
COCK  having  led  the  advance  of  the  left  flank  and 
pushed  on  to  Bowling  Green,  thence  to  Milford 
bridge,  where  he  crossed  the  Mattapony,  still  seek 
ing  the  enemy  and  thirsting  for  battle,  on  Saturday, 
May  21st.  During  that  day  and  Sunday  the  army 
advanced  along  the  line  of  the  Fredericksburg  Kail- 
road,  its  right  at  Guinney's  Station,  its  centre  at 
Bowling  Green,  and  its  left  at  Milford  Station.  The 
enemy's  cavalry  were  met  and  repulsed  in  small  de 
tachments.  By  nightfall  on  Monday.  General  HAN 
COCK,  with  the  Second  and  Fifth  Corps,  reached  the 
North  Anna  River  in  the  neighborhood  of  Jericho 

(323) 


324  W 'INFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

bridge.  These  two  corps  were  in  the  advance  of  the 
main  body,  the  Fifth  being  on  the  right  of  the  Sec 
ond.  The  enemy,  having  carefully  removed  all  his 
stores  along  the  route,  was  here  found  formed  in 
very  strong  position,  and  evidently  bent  on  holding 
his  ground.  With  characteristic  impetuosity,  HAN 
COCK  rapidly  formed  his  plans,  and,  leading  his  men 
in  a  desperate  charge,  forced  the  enemy's  works  and 
carried  the  position,  with  the  loss  of  about  three 
hundred  men.  The  Fifth  Corps  crossed  the  river 
higher  up,  and  were  at  once  attacked,  but  repulsed 
the  enemy  and  inflicted  considerable  damage.  Gen 
eral  GRANT,  in  writing  of  these  engagements,  said 
he  had  never  heard  more  rapid  or  massive  firing 
either  of  artillery  or  musketry.  At  night  the  Sec 
ond  and  Fifth  Corps  were  on  the  south  side  of  the 
North  Anna,  and  by  Wednesday  the  whole  army 
had  crossed,  after  some  severe  fighting  at  Chester 
field  bridge  and  Jericho  bridge  and  ford. 

Pushing  onward,  the  infantry  got  possession  of 
Hanovertown  and  the  crossing  of  the  Pamunkey, 
GREGG'S  cavalry,  with  SHERIDAN'S  corps  co-operat 
ing,  moving  soutliAvard.  Near  Tolopatomoy  Creek, 
an  affluent  of  the  Pamunkey,  GREGG'S  cavalry  encoun 
tered  Hampton's  and  Fitzhugh  Lee's  cavalry,  and  a 
sharp  engagement  ensued.  GREGG  was  greatly  oiit- 


JlZSf  CLOSING  BATTLES.  325 

numbered,  and  must  have  fallen  back,  but  for  the 
timely  aid  of  OUSTER'S  brigade  of  TORBERT'S  division, 
armed  with,  the  Spencer  repeating-rifle,  the  deadly 
fire  of  which  forced  the  enemy  back,  and  he  re 
treated  in  great  disorder,  leaving  his  dead  and 
wounded  in  the  hands  of  the  Union  troops. 

On  Monday,  May  30th,  the  enemy  drove  in  the 
Union  skirmishers  on  the  road  leading  from  Culd 
Harbor  to  Old  Church  Tavern,  and  attempted  a  i  tid 
on  the  rear  of  the  Union  army.  They  were  beaten 
back,  but  returning  in  force  towards  evening,  one 
division  of  Ewell's  corps  and  two  cavalry  brigades 
attacked  CRAWFORD'S  division  with  such  determina 
tion  that  it  was  forced  back  from  its  position  near 
Shady  Grove  Church,  and  almost  endangered  the 
turning  of  WARREN'S  flank.  General  MEADE  ordered 
an  attack  along  the  whole  line,  but  only  the  Second 
Corps  received  the  order  before  dark.  General  HAN 
COCK,  without  a  moment's  delay,  dashed  upon  the 
enemy's  skirmish-line,  captured  the  rifle-pits,  and 
held  them  all  night. 

Several   sharp   but   brief    engagements    occurred 
during  Monday  and  Tuesday,  the  enemy  obstinately- 
holding  the  roads  running  parallel  to  the  Chickahom 
iny,  as  well  as  the  river  bank  from  near  Atlee's  Sta 
tion  to  Bottom's  Bridge. 
28 


826   '          WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

On  "Wednesday,  there  was  desperate  fighting  at 
Cold  Harbor,  which,  by  the  way,  was  but  a  single 
building,  the  Cold  Harbor  Tavern ;  but  the  position 
was  important,  as  being  the  junction  of  the  roads 
leading  to  "White  House  on  the  east,  Dispatch  Sta 
tion  and  Bottom's  Bridge  on  the  south,  Richmond, 
by  way  of  Gaines's  Mill,  on  the  west,  and  Hanover- 
town  and  New  Castle  on  the  north.  After  a  fierce 
conflict  and  several  brilliant  charges,  the  Union 
troops  held  Cold  Harbor,  but  could  not  turn  the 
enemy's  position.  They  were  able,  however,  to  re 
pulse  his  every  attempt  to  recover  his  lost  ground, 
but  at  a  heavy  cost,  the  Union  loss  being  near  upon 
two  thousand.  The  enemy  fighting  behind  breast 
works  did  not  suffer  so  severely,  but  still  their  killed 
and  wounded  were  considerable,  and  six  hundred 
prisoners  were  taken.  On  Wednesday  night,  General 
GRANT  decided  to  follow  up  the  occupation  of  Cold 
Harbor,  and  attempt  to  push  the  enemy  across  the 
Chickahominy,  so  as  to  establish  a  fording-place  for 
his  own  troops.  Therefore  HANCOCK,  with  his  Sec 
ond  Corps,  was  drawn  off  the  right,  and  marched 
across  the  lines  to  the  extreme  left,  reaching  that 
point  by  noon  on  Thursday.  It  had  been  intended 
to  make  the  attack  that  evening,  but  a  heavy  thun 
der-storm,  with  torrents  of  rain,  checked  the  move- 


HIS  CLOSING  BATTLES.  327 

ment,  and  the  enemy  took  advantage  of  the  respite 
to  strengthen  his  works. 

At  dawn  on  the  3d  of  June,  the  attack  was  com 
menced.  The  assault  of  HANCOCK'S  Second  Corps  on 
the  enenry  's  lines,  on  this  eventful  morning,  the  bloody 
battle  of  the  Chickahominy,  was  never  surpassed  for 
daring,  lofty  courage,  and  stubborn  persistence,  even 
by  the  gallant  action  of  the  same  corps  at  the  battle 
of  Spottsylvania.  In  their  daring  sweep  over  the 
enemy's  works,  the  troops  of  Breckinridge  were 
driven  from  the  summit,  and  for  a  few  minutes  they 
were  masters  of  the  position  ;  but  their  eagerness  had 
carried  them  beyond  their  supporting  columns,  and 
the  enemy  noting  this,  as  well  as  knowing  the  im 
portance  of  the  position,  launched  A.  P.  Hill's  Corps 
upon  them,  while  an  enfilading  fire  played  havoc  with 
their  decimated  columns.  They  were  compelled  to 
fall  back,  but  did  so  in  good  order,  carrying  with 
them  three  hundred  prisoners  and  a  captured  color. 
In  spite  of  a  deadly  fire,  they  merely  crossed  the 
brow  of  the  nearest  ridge,  where  they  reformed  and 
entrenched,  remaining  all  day  within  fifty  yards  of 
the  enemy's  breastworks.  By  nightfall  the  whole 
of  the  Union  lines  was  advanced  to  the  same  position 
and  intrenched.  For  the  next  nine  days,  only  fifty 
yards  apart,  there  were  no  more  pitched  battles,  but 


828  WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

occasional  dashes  were  made  on  either  side,  only  to 
be  met  by  heavy  artillery  and  musketry  fire.  So 
close  were  the  two  armies  that  they  could  look  each 
other  in  the  face,  except  that  every  officer  or  soldier 
who  exposed  his  head  was  certain  to  be  a  target  foi 
a  sharpshooter's  bullet.  The  carnage  of  the  four 
weeks  had  been  terrible  on  both  sides.  On  the 
Union  side  two  hundred  and  seventy  officers,  and 
three  thousand  seven  hundred  and  thirty-one  enlisted 
men  had  been  killed ;  seven  hundred  and  forty-seven 
officers,  and  seventeen  thousand  three  hundred  and 
eighty-one  men  wounded,  and  eighty-five  officers,  and 
twenty-nine  hundred  and  twenty-seven  men  were 
missing,  mostly  prisoners ;  making  a  total  of  twenty- 
five  thousand  one  hundred  and  forty-one  killed, 
wounded,  and  missing.  The  enemy's  losses  must  have 
been  nearly  if  not  quite  as  heavy,  though  fighting 
behind  breastworks  their  killed  and  wounded  had 
been  less ;  still  they  lost  a  far  larger  proportion  of 
prisoners. 

In  all  the  battles  of  this  campaign,  General  HAN 
COCK,  among  the  many  brave  officers  of  the  army, 
wfcs  conspicuous  for  daring,  enthusiasm,  and  steady 
valor.  Wherever  there  was  the  most  difficult  work 
to  be  done,  and  it  was  necessary  that  an  attack 
should  be  made  promptly,  earnestly,  and  unflinch 


HIS  CLOSING  BATTLES.  329 

ingly,  there  HANCOCK  and  his  gallant  Second  Corps 
were  sure  to  be,  ready  to  do  and  dare  anything  that 
human  courage  and  skill  could  undertake.  If  there 
was  one  post  of  greater  danger  than  another,  or  re 
quiring  those  shrewd  acts  of  gallantry  which  men 
will  only  attempt  under  the  eye  and  stimulated  by 
the  approbation  of  a  beloved  and  honored  com 
mander,  there  HANCOCK  was  certain  to  be  found, 
encouraging  his  men  to  higher  exertion  and  the 
accomplishment  of  seeming  impossibilities.  And 
all  this  time  that  terrible  wound  in  his  thigh — the 
bitter  memento  of  his  Gettysburg  bravery — was  rack 
ing  him,  and  was  soon  to  force  him,  for  a  brief  in 
terval,  away  from  that  field  in  which  all  his  energies, 
all  his  ideas,  were  concentrated ;  but  human  nature 
must  yield  sometimes,  and  the  actual  reopening  of 
his  wound  forced  the  brave  soldier  to  retire  on  the 
19th  of  June.  Before  this,  however,  at  midnight  of 
June  12th,  he  led  the  advance  to  Long  Bridge,  thence 
to  and  across  the  James  River,  doing  some  desperate 
fighting,  as  the  enemy  had  strongly-fortified  posi 
tions.  During  the  15th,  16th,  and  17th,  HANCOCK 
participated  in  the  assaults  on  Petersburg.  On  the 
latter  day,  however,  his  iron  constitution  gave  way, 
and  he  was  compelled,  though  with  great  reluctance, 
to  turn  over  his  command  to  General  BIRNEY  and 


330  WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

cease  active  work.  He  did  not,  however,  leave  the 
field.  During  the  greater  part  of  the  campaign, 
indeed,  he  had  suffered  the  most  intense  pain,  being 
compelled  to  occupy  an  ambulance  during  the  march, 
and  only  mounting  his  horse  when  his  troops  came 
in  contact  with  the  enemy.  The  wound  was  in  the 
upper  part  of  the  thigh.  It  had  fractured  and  splin 
tered  the  upper  part  of  the  femur,  and  at  one  time  it 
was  thought  that  his  life  could  not  be  saved.  A 
splendid  constitution,  however,  and  the  best  surgical 
skill,  had  brought  him  through  the  worst,  and.  his 
entire  recovery  would  have  followed,  had  not  his 
impatience  to  be  with  his  command  in  the  field 
prevailed  over  his  judgment.  The  penalty  for  this 
he  now  had  to  pay  by  a  brief  retirement  from  the 
command  of  the  corps. 

On  the  27th  of  June,  however,  General  HANCOCK 
again  took  command,  and  participated  in  the  opera 
tions  before  Petersburg  until  July  26th,  when  he 
crossed  to  the  north  side  of  James  Eiver  with  his 
corps  and  a  division  of  cavalry,  and  assaulted  the 
enemy's  line  at  Deep  Bottom,  capturing  the  outer 
works,  two  hundred  prisoners,  several  stands  of 
colors,  and  four  pieces  of  artillery.  On  the  12th  of 
August,  he  was  made  Brigadier-General  in  the  Keg- 
alar  Army.  On  the  same  day,  in  command  of  his 


HIS  CLOSING  BATTLES.  •      331 

own,  the  Second  Corps,  the  Tenth  Corps,  and  a  divi 
sion  of  cavalry,  he  again  assaulted  the  enemy's  lines 
at  Deep  Bottom.  The  fighting  was  severe.  A  part 
of  the  enemy's  works  was  carried;  three  hundred 
prisoners,  three  stands  of  colors,  and  four  howitzers 
being  taken.  On  the  25th  of  August,  he  fought  the 
battle  of  Keams's  Station,  with  two  divisions  of  his 
own  corps  and  a  division  of  cavalry,  against-  a  greatly 
superior  force  of  the  enemy.  Another  horse  was 
shot  under  him  here. 

In  this  battle  the  Union  forces  were  heavily  out 
numbered,  and  the  enemy  determined  and  vigorous. 
MILES'S  division  of  the  Second  Corps  had  been  occu 
pied  throughout  Monday  in  breaking  up  the  "Weldon 
Kailroad  as  far  as  Eeams's  Station,  and  was  joined  at 
night  by  GIBBON'S  division  of  the  same  corps,  who 
finished  the  work  to  a  point  two  miles  beyond 
Eeams's  Station,  in  all  a  distance  of  about  eleven 
miles.  GKEGG'S  cavalry  had,  meanwhile,  covered 
and  protected  the  infantry,  and  had  sharp  skirmishes 
with  the  enemy.  On  Thursday  morning,  June  25th, 
GIBBON'S  division  of  HANCOCK'S  corps  moved  down 
from  Eeams's  to  continue  the  work  of  destruction, 
but  encountered  the  enemy's  skirmishers,  and  soon 
afterwards  the  main  body.  There  was  considerable 
skirmishing,  but  the  enemy  did  not  appear  to  want 


332  WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

battle ;  and  HANCOCK  promptly  realized  that  this  was 
merely  a  demonstration  on  the  part  of  General  A.  P. 
Hill  to  conceal  his  attack  on  MILES'S  division  (form 
erly  BARLOW'S),  which  was  still  at  Eeams's  Station. 
This  proved  correct,  and  in  the  meantime  HANCOCK 
had  ordered  GIBBON  to  fall  back  and  form  a  junction 
with  MILES'S  left,  to  protect  that  flank.  The  cavalry 
followed  and  covered  the  left  flank  and  rear.  At  two 
p.  M.,  the  enemy's  skirmish  line  swept  forward  with 
the  usual  horrid  yells,  but,  being  met  by  a  heavy  fire 
of  artillery  and  musketry,  fell  back  in  confusion. 
The  enemy,  having  got  his  batteries  into  position, 
opened  a  terrible  concentric  fire  on  the  Union  troops, 
pouring  in  shell  and  solid  shot  without  a  moment's 
cessation.  After  maintaining  this  for  nearly  half  an 
hour,  the  recurrence  of  the  demoniac  yells  announced 
a 'fourth  assault,  and  the  enemy's  solidly  massed 
column,  in  overwhelming  numbers,  rushed  forward 
with  fierce  impetuosity.  A  galling  fire  of  artillery 
and  musketry  met  them  point-blank ;  but  they 
pressed  on,  and,  after  a  bloody  hand-to-hand  conflict, 
gained  the  breastworks  and  broke  the  Union  lines. 
The  centre  was  gone,  but  some  of  the  regiments  con 
tinued  to  fight  with  marvellous  valor.  During  this 
last  attack  against  MILES,  part  of  GIBBON'S  division 
was  hurried  across  ihe  circle,  under  a  heavy  fire, 


HIS  CLOSING  BATTLES.  333 

nearly  a  mile,  to  his  support.  At  this  moment  the 
enemy  broke  in  on  the  Union  left,  weakened  by  GIB- 
BOX'S  withdrawal,  and  GIBBON'S  troops  were  again 
hurried  back  across  the  fatal  open  space,  and  hurled 
upon  the  enemy.  The  sheer  weight  of  the  enemy, 
however,  bore  back  the  gallant  left,  except  some 
regiments,  which  were  actually  cut  to  pieces  on  the 
ground  they  occupied.  GEEGG'S  dismounted  cavalry 
prevented  the  enemy's  further  progress,  and  soon 
after  dark  HANCOCK  withdrew,  leaving  Eeams's  Sta 
tion  in  the  hands  of  the  enemy.  The  Weldon  road, 
however,  had  been  hopelessly  destroyed  for  a  long 
distance,  and  a  considerable  portion  of  it  was  still 
held  by  our  forces.  We  must  now  pass  on  rapidly 
to  the  battle  of  Boydton  Plank-road,  which  virtually 
ended  General  HANCOCK'S  active  operations  at  the 
immediate  front. 

On  the  1st  of  October,  Generals  TEEEY  and  KAUNTZ 
made  a  reconnoissance  towards  Eichmond,  and  with 
two  brigades  of  infantry  and  a  few  cavalry  actually 
penetrated  within  two  miles  of  the  city.  This  so 
irritated  the  enemy  that  a  vigorous  effort  was  made 
to  turn  the  right  flank  of  the  Army  of  the  James. 
In  the  meantime  General  GEANT  deemed  the  time 
had  come  for  another  blow  on  Lee's  right,  accom 
panying  it  with  a  demonstration  upon  his  left.  The 


334  WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYERS  SON. 

troops  north  of  the  James  were  to  make  a  demon 
stration,  while  those  south  were  to  undertake  a  com 
bined  movement  upon  Hatcher's  Bun,  a  small  tribu 
tary  of  Kowanty  Creek,  an  affluent  of  the  Nottaway 
Eiver.  Along  this  run  and  the  Boydton  Plank-road, 
and  other  roads  partly  parallel  and  partly  crossing 
it,  the  enemy's  lines  of  defence  ran,  protecting  his 
communication  with  Wilmington,  Danville,  Lynch- 
burg,  and  other  sources  of  supply.  GRANT'S  view  was, 
if  he  could  obtain  possession  of  that 'road,  he  could 
compel  the  evacuation  of  Petersburg  and  Eichmond 
within  forty-eight  hours.  The  demonstration  was 
not  a  success,  as  the  enemy  laid  an  ambush  trap  for 
the  Union  forces,  and  although  stubborn  resistance 
was  offered,  the  troops  were  compelled  to  retreat 
with'  considerable  loss.  The  attack  on  the  position 
was  assigned  to  HANCOCK'S  Corps,  aided  by  GREGG'S 
cavalry.  This  force  was  to  march  round  the  enemy's 
right  flank,  turn  it,  and  seize  the  line  of  defences  on 
Hatcher's  Kun,  at  the  same  time  that  the  Fifth  and 
Ninth  Corps  approached  and  attacked  the  works  in 
front.  General  HANCOCK,  therefore,  drew  out  of 
camp  on  Wednesday  evening,  October  26th,  and 
marched  across  Church  Koad;  at  3.30  A.  M.,  on 
Thursday,  he  reached  the  Yaughan  Road,  and  moved 
along  it  to  Hatcher's  Run,  coming  to  the  crossing  of 


HIS  CLOSING  BATTLES.  335 

that  stream  at  7.30  A.  M.  Here  a  small  force  at 
tempted  to  dispute  liis  passage,  but  were  speedily  re 
pulsed  and  driven  off,  the  corps  proceeding  to  Boydton 
Plank-road,  which  it  reached  by  11.15  A.  M.  GREGG'S 
cavalry  joined  them  here  on  the  left,  and  Generals 
GRANT  and  ME  APE  came  on  the  field  at  about  the 
same  time.  EGAN'S  division  deployed  on  the  right 
of  the  Plank  -road,  facing  towards  the  bridge  over 
Hatcher's  Run;  MOTT'S  division  took  the  left  of 
the  road :  DE  TROBRIAND'S  brigade  connected  with 
GREGG'S  cavalry,  which  held  the  extreme  left. 
RUGG'S  brigade,  the  advance  of  EGAN'S  division, 
rushed  forward,  seized  the  bridge  at  Hatcher's  Run, 
and  crossed  the  creek. 

The  next  point  was  to  carry  the  enemy's  works 
beyond,  and  for  this  purpose  EGAN'S  division,  with 
BECK'S  battery  and  WALLISTON'S  brigade  of  MOTT'S 
division  supporting,  pressed  onward.  At  this  junc 
ture  the  firing  of  the  Fifth  Corps  was  heard  on  the 
right,  and  it  was  expected  that  they  would  sweep 
roand  and  form  a  junction  with  the  Second  Corps, 
but  the  perplexing  nature  of  the .  roads  —  a  perfect 
maze  —  prevented  this,  and  the  enemy  were  not 
slow  to  take  advantage  of  the  opportunity.  About 
four  P.  M.,  Mahone's  division  of  Hill's  corps  broke 
in  upon  HANCOCK'S  right  flank,  and,  dashing  through 


836  WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYERS  SON. 

with  irresistible  fury,  swept  off  one  section  of  BECK'S 
battery,  then  crossing  the  Boydton  Plank-road,  bore 
down  on  EGAN'S  division.  EGAN  promptly  changed 
front  with  his  own  and  MCALLISTER'S  brigades,  and, 
with  the  aid  of  BECK'S,  EODER'S,  and  HESPER'S  bat 
teries,  repulsed  the  enemy,  after  a  desperate  conflict. 
HANCOCK,  in  the  meantime,  by  prompt  and  skilful 
handling,  had  restored  his  line,  and,  with  EG  AN, 
then  fell  on  Mahone's  flank  and  drove  him  back, 
compelling  him  to  abandon  the  guns  he  had  cap 
tured,  and  leave  behind  him  also  three  flags  and  five 
or  six  hundred  prisoners.  In  this  engagement  the 
Second  Corps  and  the  cavalry  lost  about  nine  hundred 
tilled  and  wounded  and  four  hundred  prisoners.  The 
rain  was  falling  in  torrents  and  ammunition  and  rations 
were  growing  short,  though  orders  for  a  four  days'  sup 
ply  had  been  given.  The  Second  Corps  and  the  cavalry, 
therefore,  retraced  tlieir  way  to  camp.  In  the  mean 
while  the  Fifth  and  Ninth  Corps  had  not  fared  much 
better,  except  that  they  had  inflicted  a  loss  of  about 
a  thousand  on  the  enemy  and  lost  themselves  about 
four  hundred.  Altogether,  it  was  estimated  that  the 
movements  on  both  sides  of  the  James,  which  had 
promised  so  fairly,  had  cost  the  Union  army  some 
three  thousand  men,  and  had  really  effected  nothing, 
in  spite  of  brilliant  daring  and  dauntless  valor.  From 


HIS  CLOSING  BATTLES.  337 

this  time  forward,  for  three  months,  there  were  but 
petty  skirmishes  and  occasional  conflicts  along  the 
lines  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  and  the  Army  of 
the  James.  In  the  meantime,  the  President  saw 
other  work  for  General  HANCOCK,  and  detaching 
him,  on  November  26th,  from  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac,  he  ordered  him  to  Washington,  where  his 
ability  and  peculiar  qualities  could  best  serve  his 
country  in  the  particular  needs  of  the  hour,  by  re 
cruiting  the  veterans  of  the  war. 
29  W 


CHAPTER   XXXIV. 

In  Washington —  The  Organization  of  the  First  Army  Veteran 
Corps  —  Hancock  a  Major- General  —  In  Charge  of  the  MiddU 
Military  Division  —  He  has  Charge  of  Washington  after  the  As- 
tastination  of  President  Lincoln  —  The  Surratt  Matter. 

AT  this  period,  November,  1864,  a  vast  number 
of  the  veteran  soldiers  had  served  their  enlist 
ment  term,  and  it  was  deemed  by  President  LINCOLN 
and  his  advisers  that  this  valuable  element  might  be 
again  induced  to  take  the  field ;  bat  they  could  not 
be  expected  to  re-enter  the  service  in  regiments  re 
cruited  since  their  own  enlistment.  After  anxious 
deliberation,  it  was  considered  that  a  corps  consist 
ing  of  veterans  alone  could  be  raised  if  a  veteran 
General,  having  the  esteem  and  confidence  of  the 
men,  should  be  placed  at  the  head  of  it.  President 
LINCOLN  at  once  fixed  upon  HANCOCK,  who  was  made 
Brigadier-General,  U.  S.  A.,  to  date  from  August  12, 
1864.  He  was,  therefore,  summoned,  as  we  have 
previously  mentioned,  to  Washington  on  November 
27,  and  from  that  time  until  February  27,  1865,  was 
actively  engaged  in  raising  a  new  First  Army  Corps. 

(338) 


THE  FIRST  ARMY  VETERAN  CORPS.         339 

The  anticipations  of  the  President  proved  correct, 
and  the  old  soldiers  flocked  to  his  standard  with 
alacrity,  the  corps  being  raised  to  50,000  strong. 
The  selection  of  HANCOCK  for  this  task  was  a  happy 
inspiration,  based  upon  the  length  and  severity  of 
his  service,  and  the  high  estimation  of  the  rank  and 
file,  to  whom  he  was  at  once  an  example  and  an 
object  of  adoration.  This  work  completed,  General 
HANCOCK  was  again  ordered  to  the  front  in  command 
of  the  Middle  Military  Division,  making  his  head 
quarters  at  Winchester,  the  division  embracing  the 
Departments  of  "West  Virginia,  Pennsylvania,  and 
Washington,  and  the  force  under  his  command,  in 
cluding  the  Army  of  the  Shenandoah,  amounting  to 
about  100,000  men  of  all  arms.  With  such  a  force 
of  veterans  and  under  such  a  military  genius,  it  was 
expected  that  at  a  decisive  moment  a  blow  could  be 
struck  in  either  direction;  and  HANCOCK  was,  there 
fore,  under  orders  to  be  ready  to  move  at  short  no 
tice  either  on  Lynchburg,  to  co-operate  with  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac,  or  to  take  transports  for  the 
Southern  coast,  to  co-operate  with  General  SHERMAN, 
On  March  13,  1865,  he  was  breveted  Major-General, 
U.  S.  A.,  "  for  gallant  and  meritorious  services  at  the 
battle  of  Spottsylvania,  Ya." 

The   events  of  the  war  had,   meanwhile,   taken 


340  WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYERS  SON. 

gigantic  strides,  and  the  sudden  breaking  of  Lee's 
line  at  Petersburg,  followed  by  the  surrender  of  that 
General  at  Appomattox  Court- House,  on  April  9, 
1865,  rendered  neither  of  these  movements  neces 
sary.  General  HANCOCK  remained  in  the  Yalley  of 
the  Shenandoah  until  the  assassination  of  President 
LINCOLN,  on  April  14,  1865,  threw  the  whole  coun 
try  into  a  state  of  dread  and  terror.  He  was  imme 
diately  summoned  to  Washington,  and  placed  in 
command  of  the  Federal  troops  there.  His  presence 
at  once  calmed  the  apprehensions  of  the  public,  for 
it  was  felt  that  there  was  a  man  at  the  helm  who 
could  be  relied  upon  to  be  cool,  resolute,  and  brave 
in  any  emergency.  His  position  here  placed  upon 
him  the  painful  duty  of  directing  the  carrying  out 
of  the  death-sentence  upon  Mrs.  Surratt  and  others 
convicted  of  participation  in  the  plot  for  the  assas 
sination  of  President  LINCOLN.  Upon  this  point  a 
most  unworthy  attempt  has  been  made  to  throw 
odium  upon  General  HANCOCK,  but  common  sense 
and  common  justice  alike  forbid  such  malicious 
scandals  any  weight  with  thinking  people.  He  was 
military  commander,  having  but  President  JOHNSON 
and  the  Secretary  of  War  as  his  superiors.  With 
the  details  of  the  guarding  and  care  of  the  prisoners 
he  had  nothing  whatever  to  do.  They  were  con- 


THE  'FIRST  ARMY  VETERAN  CORPS.         341 

fined  in  the  arsenal,  and  the  commander  there  was 
General  HAKTKANFT,  who  took  the  position  by  order 
of  the  Secretary  of  War.  A  military  commission, 
ordered  by  the  President,  tried  the  prisoners,  found 
them  guilty,  condemned  some  of  them  to  death,  and 
the  findings  of  the  military  court  were  approved  by 
the  President.  It  was,  unquestionably,  to  be  la 
mented  that  they  should  have  been  thus  tried.  Ths 
conviction  of  the  guilty  could,  in  all  probability, 
have  been  effected  by  a  jury ;  but  the  nation  was  in 
a  bloody  struggle  for  existence,  and  martial  law  pre 
vailed.  It  was  particularly  to  be  lamented  that  one 
of  the  condemned  persons  was  a  woman,  and  the 
regret  is  the  deeper  when,  in  calmer  times,  people 
who  considered  the  case  carefully  are  convinced  that, 
so  far  as  the  crime  of  assassination  was  concerned,  she 
was  guiltless.  The  execution  had  been  ordered  for 
the  8th  day  of  July.  On  the  6th,  Messrs.  Aiken 
and  Clampitt,  the  counsel  of  Mrs.  Surratt,  went 
before  United  States  Justice  Wylie  and  procured 
a  writ  of  habeas  corpus.  This  was  served  by  the 
marshal  of  the  district  on  General  HANCOCK,  as  the 
military  head  of  the  division.  As  was  his  duty,  he 
forwarded  it  to  his  superior,  the  President  of  the 
United  States  and  the  Commander-in-Chief.  Presi- 

29* 


342  WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

dent  JOHNSON  at  once  issued  the  following  procla 
mation  : 

EXECUTIVE  OFFICE,  July  7th,  1865.  —  To  Major- 
General  Hancock,  Commander,  etc.  I,  Andrew  John 
son,  President  of  the  United  States,  do  hereby  declare 
that  the  writ  of  habeas  corpus  has  been  heretofore 
suspended  in  such  cases  as  this;  and  I  do  hereby 
especially  suspend  this  writ,  and  direct  that  you  pro 
ceed  and  execute  the  order  heretofore  given  you 
upon  the  judgment  of  the  Military  Commission,  and 
you  will  give  this  order  in  return  to  this  writ. 

This  was  indorsed  on  the  writ,  and,  accompanied 
by  United  States  Attorney -General  Speed,  General 
HANCOCK  presented  himself  before  Justice  Wylie, 
and  made  return  to  the  writ.  The  execution  took 
place  the  following  day.  General  HANCOCK  saw  that 
the  only  hope  for  Mrs.  Surratt  lay  in  the  power  of 
her  daughter  to  move  the  President's  heart ;  and  he 
so  informed  the  daughter,  and  gave  her  every  facility 
in  his  power  to  gain  access  to  the  President.  So 
great  was  his  anxiety  in  regard  to  'the  looked-for 
pardon  or  reprieve,  that  he  placed  a  line  ^of  mounted 
sentinels  from  the  White  House  to  the  place  of  exe 
cution,  that  the  words  of  grac^  if  spoken  at  the  last 


THE  FIRST  ARMY  VETERAN  CORPS.         343 

minute,  should  go  surely  and  swiftly.  But  no  such 
words  were  spoken,  and,  to  the  now  almost  universal 
regret  of  the  people,  Mrs.  Surratt  died. 

It  is  barely  necessary  to  add  anything  to  the  sim 
ple  statement  that  throughout  the  whole  of  this  un 
happy  business  General  HANCOCK  did  nothing  that 
the  strict  letter  of  his  duty  did  not  demand,  and 
an  avoidance  of  which  would  have  contradicted  the 
whole  tenor  of  his  career;  in  so  far  as  the  man  could 
suppress  the  soldier  in  obedience  to  the  dictates  of 
humanity,  he  yielded  to  that  impulse,  even  at  a  time 
when  by  so  doing  his  own  fealty  might  have  been 
questioned  in  the  then  heated  state  of  public  feeling. 
An  interview,  however,  since  the  Cincinnati  nomina 
tion,  which  a  correspondent  of  the  New  York  Herald 
had  with  the  Eight  Eeverend  Bishop  Keane,  elicited 
evidence  which  removes  even  a  shadow  of  doubt  as 
to  the  opinions  entertained  by  those  who  are  best 
qualified  to  speak  on  the  subject.  The  correspondent, 
after  ascertaining  the  Bishop's  views,  which  were  that 
the  charges  against  General  HANCOCK  had  been  dis 
proved  as  preposterous  and  false,  was  asked  as  to  a 
letter  which  Father  Walter,  of  St.  Patrick's  Church, 
Washington,  who  had  attended  Mrs.  Surratt  through 
all  her  affliction  till  the  last  moment,  was  alleged  to 
have  written  entirely  exculpating  General  HANCOCK 


344  WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

from  all  responsibility  in  the  matter.  He  replied: 
"  I  happened  to  be  in  "Washington  about  the  time,  a 
few  months  ago,  when  these  charges  were  reiterated 
by  the  press  against  General  HANCOCK.  I  was  there 
for  the  purpose  of  delivering  a  lecture.  Father  Wal 
ter  then  had  a  consultation  with  me  regarding  those 
charges,  and  asked  my  advice  as  to  what  he  should 
do  in  the  premises.  He  stated  in  the  most  emphatic 
language  that  there  was  no  truth  whatever  in  the 
charges.  Father  Walter  was  the  spiritual  adviser 
and  confessor  of  Mrs.  Surratt.  I  told  him  that  it  was 
his  duty  to  truth  and  to  history,  as  well  to  General 
HANCOCK,  that  he  should  write  the  letter  which  he 
did  in  reference  to  the  matter." 

"Of  course,"  the  Bishop  again  remarked,  "the 
charges  were  preposterously  false,  and  devoid  of  even 
a  shadow  of  truth." 

Upon  this  subject  we  may  have  more  to  say  at  a 
further  stage  of  our  history ;  but  it  was  necessary 
here  to  allude  to  it  in  its  order.  We  must  now  re 
turn  to  his  active  career. 


CHAPTER  XXXV. 

Sketches  and  Anecdotes  — " Jlneing  the  Pint"  —  Hancock  a*  a 
Cadet,  as  a  Junior  Officer,  and  as  a  Commander  — "  I  alvay* 
Know  where  to  find  Hancock."  (Gen.  Grant.) — The  Magic  In 
fluence  of  his  Presence  on  the  Field. 

BEFOEE  following  our  hero  into  other  phases  of 
his  eventful  career,  and  taking  up  his  record  as 
a  statesman  and  an  ardent  supporter  of  Constitutional 
law,  it  may  be  interesting  to  take  a  retrospective 
glance  —  to  incorporate  just  here  some  anecdotes  and 
sketches  illustrative  of  his  ability,  his  goodness  of 
heart,  and  his  military  genius.  We  commence  with. 
"The  Lawyer's  Son" 

AS  A  CADET. 

There  was  nothing  remarkable  in  his  cadetship. 
He  is  remembered  by  those  who  knew  him  at  West 
Point  as  a  quiet,  unassuming  Pennsylvanian  youth, 
for  whom  no  special  credit  was  claimed.  He  was 
strict  in  conforming  to  the  rules,  quick  in  acquiring 
learning,  ambitious  to  excel  in  drill  and  discipline, 
fluent  in  expressing  what  he  learned,  amiable  in  his 

(345) 


846  WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

deportment,  adding  some  graceful  accomplishments 
to  his  list  of  studies  as  a  draughtsman,  and  excelling 
as  a  sketcher  of  scenery  and  characters,  as  is  shown 
by  his  drawing  in  another  part  of  this  volume.  The 
whole  of  that  sketch,  to  which  the  reader  is  referred, 
was  drawn  by  General  HANCOCK  while  a  cadet  at 
West  Point.  It  is  designed  to  hit  off  a  class  of  per 
sons  who  were  in  the  habit  of  boring  the  cadets,  by 
applying  to  be  received  into  the  Academy.  The 
scene  is  a  literal  one,  as  true  as  it  is  graphic. 

A  greenhorn  approaches  a  drummer,  who  is  gazing 
at  him  with  astonishment,  and  asks : 

"  How  d'ye  do,  boy  ?  Where  's  your  capting  ?  I 
want  ter  jine  the  Pint ! " 

The  looks  of  the  parties  around,  the  marching  of 
the  other  applicants,  who,  in  the  distance  are  seen  to 
be  put  through  the  motions  by  the  cadet  officer  of 
the  day ;  the  groupings  of  the  scene,  the  dresses  and 
expressions,  are  all  precisely  as  executed  by  Cadet 
HANCOCK,  and  preserved  in  his  Album. 

He  graduated  with  credit  as  a  cadet,  enjoying  the 
confidence  and  esteem  of  all  his  classmates.  It  ia 
due  to  West  Point  Academy  to  say  that  he  owes  all 
that  he  is  as  a  military  man  to  the  superior  culture 
and  discipline  of  that  institution. 


SKETCHES  AND  ANECDOTES.  347 

AS  A  JUNIOR   OFFICER. 

It  is  not  by  any  means  pretended  that  there  was 
anything  very  remarkable  in  young  Lieutenant  HAN 
COCK,  when  he  took  his  place  in  the  line  of  the  Sixth 
United  States  Eegular  Infantry.  His  fellow  officers 
around  him  had  equal  positions  in  the  military  school 
they  had  just  left.  Some  of  them  had  graduated  with 
higher  honors.  He  was  fighting  under  the  same  flag 
with  them  when  he  drew  his  sword,  for  the  first  time, 
in  battle,  on  the  shores  of  Mexico.  All  that  need  be 
said  of  him  as  a  junior  officer  is  this  —  he  did  his 
duty. 

AS  A  COMMANDER. 

In  this  position  he  was  ever  found  at  his  post,  dis 
charging  his  duty  faithfully.  He  was  severely  tried, 
and  found  equal,  as  a  patriot  commander,  to  the  great 

cause  in  which  he  had  enlisted  with  all  his  heart. 

* 

It  is  not  the  slightest  disparagement  to  his  com 
patriots  in  this  noble  struggle,  to  quote  the  appro 
priate  testimony  of  Lieutenant-General  GRANT  : 
"  I  always  know  where  to  find  HANCOCK." 
When  he  returned  to  his  corps,  in  the  spring  of 
1864,  and  was  preparing  to  lead  the  advance,  his 
officers  and  men  gathered  around  him,  and  tendered 
him  a  voluntary  salute  of  welcome,  with  music  and 
banners.     A  song  of  congratulation  on  his  return 


318  WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYERS  SON. 

was  composed  for  the  occasion,  and  sung  with  loud 
acclaim  by  the  strong  voices  of  his  thousands  of  gal 
lant  soldiers.  The  following  is  the  closing  verse  of 
this  heart-felt,  soldierly  welcome  : 


"  Welcome  back,  Oh  !  General,  brave, 

Welcome  to  your  corps  again ! 
Trumpets  sound  and  banners  wave, 

Shouts  ascend  from  gallant  men. 
Many  a  hard-contested  field 

Proved  you  a  true-hearted  man : 
Ay !  many  a  field  saw  foemen  yield, 

Where  HANCOCK  lead  the  van ! " 


At  the  terrible  conflicts  of  the  Wilderness,  when 
the  men  of  the  Second  Corps  were  falling  by  thou 
sands,  their  patriotic  devotion  to  him  and  their  cause 
was  poured  out  with  their  life's  blood. 

In  one  of  the  field  hospitals  we  met  a  group  of 
these  noble  fellows,  just  brought  in,  wounded,  bleed 
ing,  dying. 

"  How  goes  the  battle,  boys  ?  "  asked  one  of  these 
gallant  sufferers  of  a  wounded  comrade,  borne  from 
the  front. 

"All  right !  "  replied  the  bleeding  hero.  "  We  're 
driving  them ! " 

"  They  Ve  broke  in  upon  us  pretty  rough ! "  said 
a  true  Yankee,  as  he  limped  along,  with  a  dismal 
wound,  to  his  stretcher. 


SKETCHES  AND  ANECDOTES.  349 

"Ar-r-ah!  but  they'll  niver  git  thrrough  the  ould 
Sicond  Cowrps !  You  may  bit  ye're  life  o'  that,  my 
boy!"  cried  a  brave  Irishman,  at  the  top  of  a  voice 
half  stifled  with  the  flow  of  blood  in  his  throat. 

"Lie  still,  Maurice,"  quietly  and  soothingly  said 
one  of  the  surgeons.  "  You  must  lose  your  arm,  my 
good  fellow ! " 

"Lose  my  arrm,  is  it?"  returned  the  enthusiastic 
Hibernian,  more  excited  than  ever.  "  Will !  I'm 
ready  to  do  that  for  HANCOCK,  any  day ;  and,  if  need 
be,  I'll  lose  both  my  arms'  for  the  Union.  Hur-r-ah 
for  the  Stars  and  Stripes,  my  boys !  and  the  Sicond 
Cowrps  foriver ! " 

A  break  had  occurred  on  a  road  in  our  lines, 
through  which  the  enemy  pressed  with  all  the  com 
bined  power  within  their  reach.  They  anticipated  a 
certain  victory  as  they  swooped  down  on  our  unpro 
tected  columns,  and  planted  their  colors  defiantly  on 
our  front.  At  this  perilous  moment  HANCOCK  dashed 
forward,  with  the  greatest  promptness  and  energy, 
determined  on  a  rescue  of  his  troops. 

Hat  in  hand,  he  raised  himself  in  his  stirrups,  and} 
spurring  ibrward,  with  his  staff  around  him,  shouted, 
at  the  top  of  his  voice : 

"We  must  hold  this  road  to  the  last  extremity! 
Stand  your  ground,  men  1     Stand  your  ground !  " 
30      ' 


350  WINFIELD,  THE  LA  WYER'S  SON. 

"  They  are  enfilading  our  breastworks ! "  exclaimed 
one  of  Ms  command. 

"  Then  we  must  meet  them  behind  the  breast 
works,  and  drive  them  out !  "  continued  HANCOCK, 
with  tremendous  emphasis. 

Turning  to  a  body  of  troops  who  seemed  disposed 
to  waver,  he  thundered : 

"No  flinching  there!  What  can  the  country  hope 
from  cowards?" 

No  better  proof  of  the  valor  with  which  he  fought 
his  command,  and  of  the  brave  alacrity  with  which 
they  followed  his  lead,  can  be  found  than  the  well- 
established  fact  that  the  Second  Corps  lost  not  less 
than  thirty  thousand  men  from  the  opening  of  the 
campaign  with  GRANT  to  the  front  of  Petersburg. 
Twenty-five  thousand  of  these  gallant  fellows  had  fol 
lowed  him  to  victory  and  death  before  he  had  crossed 
the  James  Kiver. 

When,  on  another  occasion,  already  alluded  to,  be 
fore  Petersburg,  in  which  his  corps  was  overpowered 
on  a  portion  of  its  lines,  he  left  his  sick  couch,  and 
placed  himself  at  their  head,  the  effect  of  his  pres 
ence,  though  scarcely  able  to  sit  on  his  horse,  was 
magical. 

"  HANCOCK  !  HANCOCK  is  here  I "  rang  along  the 
front. 


SKETCHES  AND  ANECDOTES.  351 

"  HANCOCK  is  sick !  "  was  the  response. 

"  Sick  or  well,  he 's  with  us !  Don't  you  hear  his 
voice  ?  " 

At  that  moment  his  clarion  notes  sounded  out  as 
strong  and  clear  as  ever : 

"  Kally,  men !  rally  1  By  the  left  flank  —  march ! 
Steady  1  —  steady !  to  the  front  1 " 

His  orders  being  rapidly  obeyed,  quickly  came 
another : 

"  Charge ! " 

It  was  done  instantly;  the  enemy  fled,  and  the 
lost  ground  was  triumphantly  retaken. 

During  one  of  the  fiercest  battles  of  the  "Wilder- 
•ness,  late  in  the  evening,  Colonel  CARKOLL,  command 
ing  a 'brigade  in  his  corps,  was  seriously  wounded. 
A  previous  commander  of  this  brigade,  the  gallant 
General  ALEXANDER  HAYS,  had  just  been  killed,  his 
body  placed  in  an  ambulance,  and  carried  from  the 
field.' 

"  You  are  wounded,  Colonel  CARROLL,"  said  HAN 
COCK,  riding  up  to  his  side. 

"  Yes,  General,"  replied  the  Colonel ;  "  but  I  shall 
not  leave  the  front." 

"  Who  will  command  your  brigade,  Colonel  ?  " 

"  I  '11  command  it  myself,  sir  !  "  promptly  added 
the  Colonel,  rising  and  giving  the  salute. 


352  WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

It  6&>a?d  be  remembered  that  through,  all  the 
vigorous  campaign  of  HANCOCK  with  GRANT,  he  was 
himself  a  wounded  man.  He  did  not  complain,  or 
allow  his  duties  to  be  in  any  way  neglected  ;  but  his 
wound  was  still  serious,  and  would  have  caused  many 
other  men  to  have  retired  from  the  fight.  When 
laid  aside  in  his  tent,  he  still  maintained  his  hold  on 
his  command  of  the  Second  Corps.  Nothing  of  im 
portance  was  allowed  to  transpire  without  his  notice. 
A  rest  of  a  few  days  brought  him  again  into  the 
saddle,  and  to  the  front  of  battle.  A  piece  of  bone 
was  taken  from  his  wound,  where  it  had  been  chafing 
his  flesh  constantly,  and  depriving  him,  at  times,  of 
the  sleep  so  much  needed  by  a  man  in  such  a  re 
sponsible  position.  But  he  would  not,  and  did  not, 
yield  his  post  in  the  fights  until  completely  pros 
trated  by  disease. 

The  soldiers  who  served  under  others  always 
united  to  bear  testimony  to  his  worth. 

"Did  you  ever  serve  under  General  HANCOCK?" 
we  inquired  of  an  old  war-worn  veteran  just  from 
Louisiana. 

"ISTo,  sir,"  he  answered  us;  "I  will  not  tell  a  lie. 
i  never  served  under  General  HANCOCK;  but,  sir. 
he's  a  noble  man." 


SKETCHES  AND  ANECDOTES.  353 

Such  uniform  testimony  as  this  from  the  men  of 
other  corps  is  peculiarly  valuable. 

The  rapidity  of  the  movements  of  HANCOCK  as  a 
commander  is  shown  most  strikingly  in  his  position 
in  support  of  WARREN,  in  the  battle  fought  early  in 
May,  1864,  near  Parker's  store.  The  moment  the 
order  for  support  came,  his  whole  corps  was  in  mo 
tion.  By  two  o'clock  of  that  day  he  had  marched 
the  .whole  distance  from  his  position  on  the  Brock 
road,  and  precisely  at  the  time  designated  he  was  in 
line  of  battle,  fronting  the  enemy.  As  the  command 
marched,  often  at  the  double  quick,  the  sound  of  the 
enemy's  guns  in  the  distance,  responding  to  those  of 
WARREN,  quickened  the  pace  of  the  corps.  They 
rushed  on,  with  shouts  that  made  the  welkin  ring, 
the  music  pouring  forth  its  loudest  strains,  and  the 
colors  flapping  proudly  in  the-  rushing,  air.  It  was 
just  like  HANCOCK  and  his  gallant  men.  He  had 
command,  at  that  moment,  of  troops  from  nearly 
every  corps  in  the  whole  army,  and  handled  them 
with  most  consummate  skill. 

During  the  height  of  this  engagement  HANCOCK'S 
line  was  the  grand  centre  of  attraction.  All  his,, 
movements  were  watched  with  the  keenest  interest 
by  Lieutenant-General  GRANT  and  General  MEADE. 
His  caution  in  every  movement  was  equal  to  his 
so*  x 


354  WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

valor.  He  was  very  careful  not  to  extend  his  lines 
too  far,  especially  on  his  left,  as  he  was  wisely  appre 
hensive —  as  it  proved  afterwards  correctly  so  —  that 
Longstreet  might  make  a  sudden  attack  in  that  dircc-. 
tion.  By  holding  his  strong  position,  and  keeping 
his  men  well  in  hand,  he  beat  back  the  enemy  until 
sufficient  reinforcements  arrived  to  secure  a  final 
victory. 

His  conduct  on  this  tremendous  field  is  described 
by  those  who  saw  it  as  magnificent.  Prompt  ii 
arriving,  ready,  in  a  moment  after,  for  fight,  he 
dashed  at  once  on  the  wily  foe.  His  labors  in  mass 
ing  his  men  had  been  herculean.  With  a  quickness 
of  perception,  a  grasp  of  thought,  peculiar  to  his 
character,  he  had  divined  the  whole  purpose  of  the 
enemy,  and  was  instantly  prepared  to  meet  it,  at  every 
point.  Nothing  of  the  kind  could  be  more  exciting 
than  the  whole  scene.  His  entire  combined  com 
mand  was  to  be  hurled  in  solid  columns  on  the  enemy 
How  vast  the  importance  that  his  every  movement 
should  be  directed  right !  A  single  mistake,  in  such 
a  crisis,  might  derange  his  whole  plan,  and  lose  the 
day  for  his  country. 

As  quickly  as  he  had  moved  his  gallant  troops,  so 
quickly  he  formed  them  in  line  of  battle;  and  just 
as  quickly  he  issued  his  orders.  It  was  the  thunder- 


SKETCHES  AND  ANECDOTES.  355 

bolt  of  war  launched  with  the  electric  flash  from  the 
wire  in  his  hand.  It  was  the  crash  of  the  avalanche 
of  battle  that  his  skill  had  poised  on  the  towering 
cliff  of  his  noble  purpose.  It  was  the  roll  of  a  wave 
of  valor  poured  forth  from  his  sea  of  thought,  that 
was  to  bear  down  all  before  it ;  the  swoop  of  an  eagle 
from  a  mountain  eyrie  of  vision,  where  his  eye  had 
grasped  all  the  field,  and  was  sxire  of  his  prey.  No 
wonder  that  he  conquered. 

But,  with'  all  this  brilliancy  of  execution,  the 
caution  of  HANCOCK  was  fully  equal  to  his  dashing 
courage.  Not  a  point  was  neglected.  Not  a  line 
was  left  uncovered.  Not  a  defence  was  allowed  to 
remain  unavailable.  His  heroism,  that  knew  no  fear, 
shone  side  by  side  with  his  modesty  and  grace,  on 
that  terrific  area  of  carnage.  There  was  impetuosity ; 
but  it  was  sobered  by  calmness.  There  was  invinci 
bility  ;  but  it  was  graced  by  modesty.  There  was 
enthusiasm,  rising  to  its  utmost  height ;  but  it  was 
controlled  by  a  wise  caution.  There  was  the  trans 
port  of  action,  the  shout  of  command,  in  the  midst 
of  the  roar  and  clangor  of  conflict;  but  it  was 
chastened  by  a  prudence  that  valued  human  life,  and 
that  would  not  needlessly  waste  or  even  put  it  in 
peril. 


CHAPTER  XXXVI: 

Hancock  a  Major-  General  —  His  Military  Command  in  the  South  —? 
The  Celebrated  "General  Orders  No.  40"—  His  Support  of 
Civil  Authority  —  Military  Rule  Subservient  to  Constitutional 
Law  —  The  Civilian  Soldier  Demonstrating  his  Statesmanship. 


ENERAL  HANCOCK  was  placed  in  the  so- 
VJT  called  Middle  Department,  with  headquarters 
at  Baltimore,  July  18,  1865,  and  on  August  10,  1866, 
was  transferred  to  the  Department  of  the  Missouri, 
with  headquarters  at  St.  Louis.  On  May  30,  1866, 
the  thanks  of  Congress  were  tendered  to  Major- 
General  HANCOCK  "  for  his  gallant,  meritorious,  and 
conspicuous  share  in  the  great  and  decisive  victory  of 
Gettysburg,"  mid  on  July  26,  1866,  he  was  made  a 
full  Major-General,  United  States  Army.  He  served 
on  the  Board  for  retiring  disabled  officers  at  Phila 
delphia,  1865-66,  and  on  the  Board  to  make  recom 
mendations  in  regard  to  ordnance  from  January  to 
June,  1866.  In  1867  he  was  engaged  upon  expe 
ditions  against  hostile  Indians  on  the  plains  of  Kansas, 
Colorado,  and  the  Indian  Territory.  With  the  as- 

(356) 


HIS  MILITARY  COMMAND  IN  THE  SOUTH.    357 

w" 

sumption  of  this  command  his  purely  military  career 
was  closed,  and  opportunity  began  to  be  afforded  for 
his  appearance  in  another  character  —  that  of  a  skilled 
administrator  and  far-seeing  statesman. 

7  n  the  general  shuffle  of  military  commands  which 
was  effected  by  President  JOHNSON  in  November,  1867, 
General  HANCOCK  was  commissioned  as  Commander 
of  the  Fifth  Military  District  and  the  Department  of 
the  Gulf,  with  headquarters  at  New  Orleans.  The 
powers  of  a  military  commander  in  the  South  at  that 
chaotic  epoch  of  reconstruction  were  large  and  in 
definite.  It  is  one  of  General  HANCOCK'S  principal 
titles  to  civic  renown  that  he  took  a  statesmanlike 
view  of  his  powers  and  responsibilities.  His  repu 
tation  was  that  of  a  somewhat  stern  disciplinarian, 
but  at  New  Orleans  he  showed  himself  superior  to 
the  passion  for  discipline.  The  wisdom  and  policy 
of  the  legislation  under  which  the  South  was  par 
celled  out,  under  the  rule  of  several  irresponsible 
military  dictators,  will  not  now  be  seriously  main 
tained,  but  at  that  time  the  passions  of  the  Northern 
States  were  too  violently  excited  by  the  contest  be 
tween  President  JOHNSON  and  Congress  to  admit  of 
impartial  reasoning  upon  the  proper  line  of  demar 
cation  between  military  and  civic  powers.  The  con 
stitutions  of  ten  Southern  States  had  been  nullified 


858  WINFIELD,  THE  LA  WYER'S  SON. 

by  Congress,  and  personal  liberty  was  everywhere  in 
jeopardy. 

Under  these  circumstances,  the  advent  of  General 
HANCOCK  at  New  Orleans  was  marked  by  the  pro 
mulgation  of  a  document  which  rang  through  the 
South  like  a  new  Declaration  of  Independence,  and 
was  greeted  with  delirious  enthusiasm  as  the  dawn 
of  a  happier  day.  On  taking  command  at  New  Or 
leans,  General  HANCOCK  issued  his  famous  "  General 
Orders  No.  40,"  the  text  of  which  is  as  follows :  — 

"  HEADQUARTERS  FIFTH  MILITARY  DISTRICT, 
NEW  ORLEANS,  LA.,  Nov.  29,  1867. 

"I.  In  accordance  with  General  Orders  No.  81,  Headquarters 
of  the  Army,  Adjutant-General's  Office,  Washington,  D.  C.,  August 
27,  18G7,  Major-General  W.  S.  HANCOCK  hereby  assumes  command 
of  the  Fifth  Military  District  and  of  the  Department  composed  of 
the  States  of  Louisiana  and  Texas. 

"II.  The  General  commanding  is  gratified  to  learn  that  peace 
and  quiet  reign  in  this  department.  It  will  be  his  purpose  to  pre 
serve  this  condition  of  things.  As  a  means  to  this  great  end  he 
regards  the  maintenance  of  the  civil  authorities  in  the  faithful 
execution  of  the  laws  as  the  most  efficient  under  existing  circum 
stances. 

"In  war  it  is  indispensable  to  repel  force  by  force  and  over 
throw  and  destroy  opposition  to  lawful  authority.  But  when  in 
surrectionary  force  has  been  overthrown  and  peace  established, 
and  the  civil  authorities  are  ready  and  willing  to  perform  their 
duties,  the  military  power  should  cease  to  lead,  and  the  civil  ad- 


HIS  MILITARY  COMMAND  IN  THE  SOUTH.    359 

ministration  resume  its  natural  and  rightful  dominion.  Solemnly 
impressed  with  these  views,  the  General  announces  that  the  great 
principles  of  American  liberty  still  are  the  lawful  inheritance  of 
this  people,  and  ever  should  be.  The  right  of  trial  by  jury,  th« 
habeas  corpus,  the  liberty  of  the  press,  the  freedom  of  speech  and 
the  natural  rights  of  persons  and  the  rights  of  property,  must  be 
preserved. 

"  Free  institutions,  while  they  are  essential  to  the  prosperity 
and  happiness  of  the  people,  always  furnish  the  strongest  induce- 
ments  to  peace  and  order.  Cnmes  and  offences  committed  in  this 
District  must  be  referred  to  the  consideration  and  judgment  of  the 
regular  civil  tribunals,  and  those  tribunals  will  be  supported  in 
their  lawful  jurisdiction. 

"Should  there  be  violations  of  existing  laws  which  are  not  in 
quired  into  by  the  civil  magistrates,  or  should  failures  in  the  ad 
ministration  of  justice  by  the  courts  be  complained  of,  the  cases 
will  be  reported  to  these  headquarters,  when  such  orders  will  be 
made  as  may  be  deemed  necessary. 

"While  the  General  thus  indicates  his  purpose  to  respect  the 
liberties  of  the  people,  he  wishes  all  to  understand  that  armed  in 
surrections  or  forcible  resistance  to  the  law  will  be  instantly  sup 
pressed  by  arms. 

"By  command  of  Major-General  W.  S.  HANCOCK. 

«W.  G.  MITCHELL, 
"  Brevet  Lieutenant-Colonel,  Acting  Assistant  Adjutant-General." 

This  order,  so  distinctly  declaring  the  subordina 
tion  of  the  military  to  the  civil  power,  was  followed 
by  others  equally  emphatic.  An  order  dated  De 
cember  5th  contains  the  following  clauses : 

"  The  Commanding  General  has  been  officially  in- 


360  WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

formed  that  the  administration  of  justice,  and  espe« 
cially  of  criminal  justice,  in  the  courts,  is  clogged,  if 
not  entirely  frustrated,  by  the  enforcement  of  para 
graph  No.  2  of  the  military  order  numbered  special 
orders  125,  current  series,  from  these  headquarters, 
Issued  on  the  24th  of  August,  A.  D.  1867,  relative  to 
the  qualification  of  persons  to  be  placed  on  the  jury 
lists  of  the  State  of  Louisiana.  To  determine  who 
shall  and  who  shall  not  be  jurors  appertains  to  the 
legislative  power,  and  until  the  laws  in  existence 
regulating  this  subject  shall  be  amended  or  changed 
by  that  department  of  the  civil  government  which 
the  constitutions  of  all  the  States  under  our  repub 
lican  system  vest  with  that  power,  it  is  deemed  best 
to  carry  out  the  will  of  the  people  as  expressed  in  the 
last  legislative  act  on  this  subject.  The  qualification 
of  a  juror  under  the  law  is  a  proper  subject  for  the 
decision  of  the  courts.  The  Commanding  General, 
in  the  discharge  of  the  trust  reposed  in  him,  will 
maintain  the  just  power  of  the  judiciary,  and  is  un 
willing  to  permit  the  civil  authorities  and  laws  to  be 
embarrassed  by  military  interference.  It  is  ordered 
that  said  paragraph,  which  relates  to  the  qualifica 
tions  of  persons  to  be  placed  on  the  jury  lists  of  the 
State  of  Louisiana,  be  and  the  same  is  hereby  re 
voked." 


HIS  MILITARY  COMMAND  IN  THE  SOUTH.    361 

An  election  for  delegates  to  a  Constitutional  Con 
vention  was  ordered  in  Texas  at  this  time,  and 
among  other  provisions  was  this : 

"  Military  interference  with  elections,  ( unless  it 
shall  be  necessary  to  keep  the  peace  at  the  polls,'  is 
prohibited  by  law,  and  no  soldiers  will  be  allowed  to 
appear  at  any  polling-place,  unless  as  citizens  of  the 
State  they  are  registered  as  voters,  and  then  only  for 
the  purpose  of  voting ;  but  the  commanders  of  posts 
will  be  prepared  to  act  promptly  if  the  civil  authori 
ties  fail  to  preserve  the  peace." 

Another  order  has  reference  to  the  applications 
made  at  headquarters,  "implying  the  existence  of 
an  arbitrary  authority  in  the  Commanding  General 
touching  purely  civil  controversies  :  " 

"  The  rights  of  litigants  do  not  depend  on  the  views 
of  the  General.  They  are  to  be  judged  and  settled 
according  to  the  laws.  Arbitrary  power,  such  as  he 
has  been  urged  to  assume,  has  no  existence  here.  It 
is  not  found  in  the  laws  of  Louisiana  or  Texas.  It 
cannot  be  derived  from  any  act  or  acts  of  Congress. 
It  is  restrained  by  a  constitution  and  prohibited  from 
action  in  many  particulars.  The  Major-General  com 
manding  takes  occasion  to  repeat  that,  while  disclaim 
ing  judicial  functions  in  civil  cases,  he  can  suffer  no 

31 


362  WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

forcible  resistance  to  the  execution  of  processes  of 
the  courts." 

On  the  9th  of  March,  1868,  these  emphatic  decla 
rations  were  supplemented  by  the  letter  to  Governor 
E.  M.  Pease,  of  Texas,  given  in  the  following  chap- 
ter,  a  document  at  once  able,  forcible,  cool,  and 
logical.  It  surpassed  all  he  had  previously  written, 
and  deserves  to  go  on  record  as  one  of  the  most 
statesmanlike  papers  ever  issued  at  a  time  of  fer 
ment,  when  prejudice  had  usurped  the  functions  of 
reason,  and  passion  had  warped  judgment  to  a  peril 
ous  extent 


CHAPTER  XXXVII. 

The  Celebrated  Letter  to  Governor  Pease,  of  Texas — General  Han 
cock's  Careful  Exposition  of  the  Relation  between  the  Military  and 
the  Civil  Administration — A  Valuable  and  Remarkable  Document. 

THE  following  letter,  which  deserves  a  chapter  to 
itself,  will  bear  careful  study.  It  exhibits  Gen 
eral  HANCOCK  in  the  light  of  a  thorough  statesman, 
and  proves  him  as  capable  to  handle  the  destinies  of 
a  people  in  time  of  peace  as  he  had  before  proved 
himself  able  to  defend  their  liberties  and  their  honor 
in  time  of  war. 

GENERAL   HANCOCK'S   LETTER. 

"  HEADQTTAETEES  FIFTH  MILITARY  DISTEICT, 
NEW  ORLEANS,  LA.,  March  9,  1868. 

u  To  His  Excellency,  E.  M.  PEASE,  Governor  of  Texas : 
"Sir — Your  communication  of  the  17th  January 
last  was  received  in  due  course  of  mail  (the  27th 
January),  but  not  until  it  had  been  widely  circulated 
by  the  newspaper  press.  To  such  a  letter — written 
and  published  for  manifest  purposes — it  has  been  my 

(363) 


364  WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

intention  to  reply  as  soon  as  leisure  from  more  im 
portant  business  would  permit. 

"  Your  statement  that  the  act  of  Congress  { to  pro 
vide  for  the  more  efficient  government  of  the  rebel 
States'  declares  that  whatever  government  existed 
in  Texas  was  provisional;  that  peace  and  order 
should  be  enforced;  that  Texas  should  be  part  of 
the  Fifth  Military  District;,  and  subject  to  military 
power ;  that  the  President  should  appoint  an  officer 
to  command  in  said  district,  and  detail  a  force  to 
protect  the  rights  of  person  and  property,  suppress 
insurrection  and  violence,  and  punish  offenders,  either 
by  military  commission  or  through  the  action  of 
local  civil  tribunals,  as  in  his  judgment  might  seem 
best,  will  not  be  disputed.  One  need  only  read  the 
act  to  perceive  it  contains  such  provisions.  But 
how  all  this  is  supposed  to  have  made  it  my  duty  to 
order  the  military  commission  you  requested,  you 
have  entirely  failed  to  show.  The  power  to  do  a 
thing,  if  shown,  and  the  propriety  of  doing  it,  are 
often  very  different  matters.  You  observe  you  are 
at  a  loss  to  understand  how  a  government,  without 
representation  in  Congress  or  a  rnilitia  force,  and 
subject  to  military  power,  can  be  said  to  be  in  the 
full  exercise  of  all  its  proper  powers.  You  do  not 
reflect  that  this  government,  created  or  permitted 


LETTER  TO  GOVERNOR  PEASE.      365 

by  Congress,  has  all  the  powers  which  the  act  in 
tends,  and  may  fully  exercise  them  accordingly.  If 
you  think  it  ought  to  have  more  powers ;  should  be 
allowed  to  send  members  to  Congress ;  wield  a  militia 
force;  and  possess  yet  other  powers,  your  complaint 
is  not  to  be  preferred  against  me,  but  against  Con 
gress,  who  made  it  what  it  is. 

"  As  respects  the  issue  between  us,  any  question  as 
to  what  Congress  ought  to  have  done  has  no  perti 
nence.  You  admit  the  act  of  Congress  authorizes  me 
to  try  an  offender  by  military  commission,  or  allow 
the  local  civil  tribunals  to  try,  as  I  shall  deem  best ; 
and  you  cannot  deny  the  act  expressly  recognizes 
such  local  civil  tribunals  as  legal  authorities  for  the 
purpose  specified.  When  you  contend  there  are  no 
legal  local  tribunals  for  any  purpose  in  Texas,  you 
must  either  deny  the  plain  reading  of  the  act  of  Con 
gress  or  the  power  of  Congress  to  pass  the  act. 

"  You  next  remark  that  you  dissent  from  my  decla 
ration,  'that  the  country  (Texas)  is  in  a  state  of  pro 
found  peace,'  and  proceed  to  state  the  grounds  of 
your  dissent.  They  appear  to  me  not  a  little  ex 
traordinary  I  quote  your  words :  *  It  is  true  there 
no  longer  exists  here  (Texas)  any  organized  resistance 
to  the  authority  of  the  United  States.7  ( But  a  large 
majority  of  the  white  population  who  participated  in 
81* 


WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

the  late  rebellion  are  embittered  against  tlie  Govern 
ment,  and  yield  to  it  an  unwilling  obedience.'  Never 
theless,  you  concede  they  do  yield  it  obedience.  You 
proceed : 

" c  None  of  this  class  have  any  affection  for  the 
Government,  and  very  few  any  respect  for  it.  They 
regard  the  legislation  of  Congress  on  the  subject  of 
reconstruction  as  unconstitutional  and  hostile  to  their 
interests,  and  consider  the  government  now  existing 
here  under  authority  of  the  United  States,  as  an 
usurpation  on  their  rights.  They  look  on  the  eman 
cipation  of  their  late  slaves,  and  the  disfranchisement 
of  a  portion  of  their  own  class,  as  an  act  of  insult 
and  oppression.7 

"  And  this  is  all  you  have  to  present  for  proof  that 
war  and  not  peace  prevails  in  Texas ;  and  hence  it 
becomes  my  duty — so  you  suppose — to  set  aside  the 
local  civil  tribunals,  and  enforce  the  penal  code 
against  citizens  by  means  of  military  commissions. 

"  My  dear  sir,  I  am  not  a  lawyer,  nor  has  it  been 
my  business,  as  it  may  have  been  yours,  to  study  the 
philosophy  of  state-craft  and  politics.  But  I  may  lay 
claim,  after  an  experience  of  more  than  half  a  life 
time,  to  some  poor  knowledge  of  men,  and  some  ap 
preciation  of  what  is  necessary  to  social  order  and 
happiness.  And  for  the  future  of  our  common 


LETTER  TO  GOVERNOR  PEASE.      367 

country,  I  could  devoutly  wish  that  no  great  number 
of  our  people  have  yet  fallen  in  with  the  views  you 
appear  to  entertain.  Woe  be  to  us  whenever  it  shall 
come  to  pass  that  the  power  of  the  magistrate — civil 
or  military — is  permitted  to  deal  with  the  mere 
opinions  or  feelings  of  the  people. 

"  I  have  been  accustomed  to  believe  that  sentiments 
of  respect  or  disrespect,  and  feelings  of  affection,  love, 
or  hatred,  so  long  as  not  developed  into  acts  in  vio 
lation  of  law,  were  matters  wholly  beyond  the  puni- 
tory  power  of  human  tribunals. 

"  I  will  maintain  that  the  entire  freedom  of  thought 
and  speech,  however  acrimoniously  indulged,  is  con 
sistent  with  the  noblest  aspirations  of  man,  and  the 
happiest  condition  of  his  race. 

"  When  a  boy,  I  remember  to  have  read  a  speech 
of  Lord  Chatham,  delivered  in  Parliament.  It  was 
during  our  Eevolutionary  War,  and  related  to  the 
policy  of  employing  the  savages  on  the  side  of  Brit 
ain.  You  may  be  more  familiar  with  the  speech 
than  I  am.  If  I  am  not  greatly  mistaken,  his  lord 
ship  denounced  the  British  Government — his  gov 
ernment —  in  terms  of  unmeasured  bitterness.  He 
characterized  its  policy  as  revolting  to  every  senti 
ment  of  humanity  and  religion,  proclaimed  it  cov 
ered  with  disgrace,  and  vented  his  eternal  abhor- 


868  WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

rence  of  it  and  its  measures.  It  may,  I  think,  be 
safely  asserted » that  a  majority  of  the  British  nation 
concurred  in  the  views  of  Lord  Chatham.  But 
whoever  supposed  that  profound  peace  was  not  ex 
isting  in  that  kingdom,  or  that  government  had  any 
authority  to  question  the  absolute  right  of  the  oppo 
sition  to  express  their  objections  to  the  propriety 
of  the  king's  measures  in  any  words  or  to  any  extent 
they  pleased  ?  It  would  be  difficult  to  show  that  the 
opponents  of  the  Government  in  the  days  of  the 
elder  Adams,  or  Jefferson,  or  Jackson,  exhibited  for 
it  either  '  affection '  or  *  respect.'  You  are  conversant 
with  the  history  of  our  past  parties  and  political 
struggles  touching  legislation  on  alienage,  sedition, 
the  embargo,  national  banks,  our  wars  with  Eng 
land  arid  Mexico,  and  cannot  be  ignorant  of  the  fact 
that  for  one  party  to  assert  that  a  law  or  system  of 
legislation  is  unconstitutional,  oppressive,  and  usurpa- 
tive  is  not  a  new  thing  in  the  United  States.  That 
the  people  of  Texas  consider  acts  of  Congress  un 
constitutional,  oppressive,  or  insulting  to  them  is  of 
no  consequence  to  the  matter  in  hand.  The  Presi 
dent  of  the  United  States  has  announced  his  opinion 
that  these  acts  of  Congress  are  unconstitutional. 
The  Supreme  Court,  as- you  are  aware,  not  long  ago 
decided  unanimously  that  a  certain  military  commis- 


LETTER  TO  GOVERNOR  PEASE.  369 

sion  was  unconstitutional.  Our  people  everywhere, 
in  every  State,  without  reference  to  the  side  they 
took  during  the  rebellion,  differ  as  to  the  constitu 
tionality  of  these  acts  of  Congress.  How  the  matter 
really  is,  neither  you  nor  I  may  dogmatically  affirm. 
"  If  you  deem  them  constitutional  laws,  and  bene 
ficial  to  the  country,  you  not  only  have  the  right  to 
publish  your  opinions,  but  it  might  be  your  bounden 
duty  as  a  citizen  to  do  so.  Not  less  is  it  the  privilege 
and  duty  of  any  and  every  citizen,  wherever  residing, 
to  publish  his  opinion  freely  and  fearlessly  on  this 
and  every  question  which  he  thinks  concerns  his 
interest.  This  is  merely  in  accordance  with  the  prin 
ciples  of  our  free  government ;  and  neither  you  nor 
]  would  wish  to  live  under  any  other.  It  is  time 
now,  at  the  end  of  almost  two  years  from  the  close 
of  the  war,  we  should  begin  to  recollect  what  manner 
of  people  we  are;  to  tolerate  again  free,  popular  dis 
cussion,  and  extend  some  forbearance  and  consider 
ation  to  opposing  views.  The  maxims  that  in  all 
intellectual  contests  truth  is  mighty,  and  must  pre 
vail,  and  that  error  is  .harmless,  when  reason  is  left 
free  to  combat  it,  are  not  only  sound,  but  salutary.* 
It  is  a  poor  compliment  to  the  merits  of  such  a  cause, 
that  its  advocates  would  silence  opposition  by  force ; 
and  generally  those  only  who  are  in  the  wrong  will 

Y 


370  WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

resort  to  this  ungenerous  means.  I  am  confident  you 
will  not  commit  your  serious  judgment  to  the  prop 
osition  that  any  amount  of  discussion,  or  any  sort  of 
opinions,  however  unwise  in  your  judgment ;  or  any 
assertion  or  feeling,  however  resentful  or  bitter,  not 
resulting  in  a  breach  of  law,  can  furnish  justification 
for  your  denial,  that  profound  peace  exists  in  Texas. 
You  might  as  well  deny  that  profound  peace  exists 
in  New  York,  Pennsylvania,  Maryland,  California, 
Ohio,  and  Kentucky,  where  a  majority  of  the  people 
differ  with  a  minority  on  these  questions ;  or  that 
profound  peace  exists  in  the  House  of  Representa 
tives,  or  the  Senate,  at  Washington,  or  in  the  Su 
preme  Court,  where  all  these  questions  have  been 
repeatedly  discussed,  and  parties  respectfully  and 
patiently  heard.  You  next  complain  that  in  parts 
of  the  State  (Texas)  it  is  difficult  to*  enforce  the 
criminal  laws ;  that  sheriffs  fail  to  arrest ;  that  grand 
jurors  will  not  always  indict ;  that  in  some  cases  the 
military  acting  in  aid  of  the  civil  authorities  have 
not  been  able  to  execute  the  process  of  the  courts  ; 
that  petit  jurors  have  acquitted  persons  adjudged 
guilty  by  you ;  and  that  other  persons  charged  with 
offences  have  broke  jail  and  fled  from  prosecution. 

"  I  know  not  how  these  things  are ;  but  admitting 
your  representations  literally  true,  if  for  such  reasons 


LETTER  TO  GOVERNOR  PEASE.      371 

I  should  set  aside  the  local  civil  tribunals  and  order 
a  military  commission,  there  is  no  place  in  the  United 
States  where  it  might  not  be  done  with  equal  pro 
priety.  There  is  not  a  State  in  the  Union  —  North 
or  South  —  where  the  like  facts  are  not  continually 
happening.  Perfection  is  not  to  be  predicated  of  man 
or  his  works.  No  one  can  reasonably  expect  certain 
and  absolute  justice  in  human  transactions;  and  if 
military  power  is  to  be  set  in  motion,  on  the  princi 
ples  for  which  you  would  seem  to  contend,  I  fear  that 
a  civil  government,  regulated  by  laws,  could  have  no 
abiding  place  beneath  the  circuit  of  the  sun.  It  is 
rather  more  than  hinted  in  your  letter,  that  there  is 
no  local  State  Government  in  Texas,  and  no  local 
laws  outside  of  the  acts  of  Congress,  which  I  ought 
to  respect;  and  that  I  should  undertake  to  protect 
the  rights  of  persons  and  property  in  my  own  way 
and  in  an  arbitrary  manner.  If  such  be  your  mean 
ing,  I  am  compelled  to  differ  with  you.  After  the 
abolition  of  slavery  (an  event  which  I  hope  no  one 
now  regrets),  the  laws  of  Louisiana  and  Texas  exist 
ing  prior  to  the  rebellion,  and  not  in  conflict  with 
the  acts  of  Congress,  comprised  a  vast  system  of 
jurisprudence,  both  civil  and  criminal.  It  required 
not  volumes  only,  but  libraries  to  contain  them: 
They  laid  down  principles  and  precedents  for  ascer- 


372  WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

taining  the  rights  and  adjusting  the  controversies  of 
men  in  every  conceivable  case.  They  were  the  cre 
ations  of  great  and  good  and  learned  men,  who  had 
labored,  in  their  day,  for  their  kind,  and  gone  down 
to  the  grave  long  before  our  recent  troubles,  leaving 
their  works  an  inestimable  legacy  to  the  human  race. 
These  laws,  as  I  am  informed,  connected  the  civiliza 
tion  of  past  and  present  ages,  and  testified  of  the  jus 
tice,  wisdom,  humanity,  and  patriotism  of  more  than 
one  nation,  through  whose  records  they  descended  to 
the  present  people  of  these  States.  I  am  satisfied, 
from  representations  of  persons  competent  to  judge, 
they  are  as  perfect  a  system  of  laws  as  may  be  found 
elsewhere,  and  better  suited  than  any  other  to  the 
condition  of  this  people,  for  by  them  they  have  long 
been  governed.  "Why  should  it  be  supposed  Con 
gress  has  abolished  these  laws?  Why  should  any 
one  wish  to  abolish  them?  They  have  committed 
no  treason,  nor  are  hostile  to  the  United  States,  nor 
countenance  crime,  nor  favor  injustice.  On  them,  as 
on  a  foundation  of  rock,  reposes  almost  the  entire 
superstructure  of  social  order  in  these  two  States. 
Annul  this  code  of  local  laws,  and  there  would  be  no 
longer  any  rights  either  of  person  or  property  here. 
Abolish  the  local  civil  tribunals  made  to  execute 
them,  and  you  would  virtually  annul  the  laws,  except 


LETTER  TO  GOVERNOR  PEASE.      373 

in  reference  to  the  very  few  cases  cognizable  in  the 
Federal  courts.  Let  us  for  a  moment  suppose  the 
whole  local  civil  code  annulled,  and  that  I  am  left,  as 
commander  of  the  Fifth  Military  District,  the  sole 
fountain  of  law  and  justice.  This  is  the  position  in 
which  you  would  place  me. 

"I  am  now  to  protect  all  rights  and  redress  all 
wrongs.  How  is  it  possible  for  me  to  do  it  ?  In 
numerable  questions  arise,  of  which  I  am  not  only 
ignorant,  but  for  the  solution  of  which  a  military 
court  is  entirely  unfitted.  One  would  establish  a 
will,  another  a  deed ;  or  the  question  is  one  of  sue 
cession,  or  partnership,  or  descent,  or  trust;  a  suit 
of  ejectment  or  claim  to  chattels ;  or  the  application 
may  relate  to  robbery,  theft,  arson,  or  murder.  How 
^am  I  to  take  the  first  step  in  any  such  matter?  If  I 
turn  to  the  acts  of  Congress,  I  find  nothing  on  the 
subject.  I  dare  not  open  the  authors  on  the  local 
code,  for  it  has  ceased  to  exist. 

"  And  you  tell  me  that  in  this  perplexing  condition 
I  am  to  furnish,  by  dint  of  my  own  hasty  and  crude 
judgment,  the  legislation  demanded  by  the  vast  and 
manifold  interests  of  the  people  !  I  repeat,  Sir !  that 
you,  and  not  Congress,  are  responsible  for  the  mon 
strous  suggestion  that  there  are  no  local  laws  or  in 
stitutions  here  to  be  respected  by  me,  outside  the 

82 


374  WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

acts  of  Congress.  I  say,  unhesitatingly,  if  it  were 
possible  that  Congress  should  pass  an  act  abolishing 
the  local  codes  for  Louisiana  and  Texas, — which  I  do 
not  believe, — and  it  should  fall  to  my  lot  to  supply 
their  places  with  something  of  my  own,  I  do  not  see 
how  I  could  do  better  than  follow  the  laws  in  force 
here  prior  to  the  rebellion,  excepting  whatever 
therein  shall  relate  to  slavery.  Power  may  destroy 
the  forms,  but  not  the  principles,  of  justice;  these 
will  live  in  spite  even  of  the  sword.  History  tells 
us  that  the  Roman  pandects  were  lost  for  a  long 
period  among  the  rubbish  that  war  and  revolution 
had  heaped  upon  them,  but  at  length  were  dug  out 
of  the  ruins,  again  to  be  regarded  as  a  precious 
treasure. 

"  You  are  pleased  to  state  that  *  since  the  publication 
of  (my)  General  Orders  ISTo.  40,  there  has  been  a  per 
ceptible  increase  of  crime  and  manifestations  of 
hostile  feeling  towards  the  Government  and  its  sup 
porters,'  and  add  that  it  is  'an  unpleasant  duty  to 
give  such  a  recital  of  the  condition  of  the  country.' 

"  You  will  permit  me  to  say  that  I  deem  it  im 
possible  the  first  of  these  statements  can  be  true, 
and  that  I  do  very  greatly  doubt  the  correctness  of 
the  second.  General  Orders  No.  40  was  issued  at 
New  Orleans,  November  29,  1867,  and  your  letter 


'  LETTER  TO  GOVERNOR  PEASE.  375 

was  dated  January  17,  1863.  Allowing  time  for 
Order  JSTo.  40  to  reach  Texas  and  become  generally 
known,  some  additional  time  must  have  elapsed  be 
fore  its  effect  would  be  manifested,  and  yet  a  further 
time  must  transpire  before  you  would  be  able  to  col 
lect  the  evidence  of  what  you  term  '  the  condition 
of  the  country ; '  and  yet,  after  all  this,  you  would 
have  to  make  the  necessary  investigations  to  ascer 
tain  if  Order  No.  40,  or  something  else,  was  the  cause. 
The  time,  therefore,  remaining  to  enable  you,  before 
the  17th  of  January,  1868,  to  reach  a  satisfactory 
conclusion  on  so  delicate  and  nice  a  question  must 
have  been  very  short.  How  you  proceeded,  whether 
you  investigated  yourself  or  through  third  persons, 
and  if  so,  who  they  were,  what  their  competency  and 
fairness,  on  what  evidence  you  rested  your  conclusion, 
or  whether  you  ascertained  any  facts  at  all,  are  points 
upon  which  your  letter  so  discreetly  omits  all  men 
tion,  that  I  may  well  be  excused  for  not  relying  im 
plicitly  upon  it ;  nor  is  my  difficulty  diminished  by 
the  fact  that  in  another  part  of  your  letter  you  state 
that  ever  since  the  close  of  the  war  a  very  large 
portion  of  the  people  have  had  no  affection  for  the 
Grovernment,  but  bitterness  of  feeling  only.  Had  the 
duty  of  publishing  and  circulating  through  the 
country,  long  before  it  reached  me,  your  statement 


376  W INFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

that  the  action  of  the  district  commander  was  in 
creasing  crime  and  hostile  feeling  against  the  Govern 
ment,  been  less  painful  to  jour  sensibilities,  it  might 
possibly  have  occurred  to  you  to  furnish  something 
on  the  subject  in  addition  to  your  bare  assertion. 

"But  what  was  Order  No.  40,  and  how  could  it 
have  the  effect  you  attribute  to  it?  It  sets  forth 
that  'the  great  principles  of  American  liberty  are 
still  the  inheritance  of  this  people,  and  ever  should 
be;  that  the  right  of  trial  by  jury,  the  habeas  corpus, 
the  liberty  of  the  press,  the  freedom  of  speech,  and 
the  natural  rights  of  persons  and  property  must  be 
preserved.'  Will  you  question  the  truth  of  these 
declarations?  Which  one  of  these  great  principles 
of  liberty  are  you  ready  to  deny  and  repudiate? 
Whoever  does  so,  avows  himself  the  enemy  of  human 
liberty  and  the  advocate  of  despotism.  Was  there 
any  intimation  in  General  Orders  No.  40  that  any 
crimes  or  breaches  of  law  would  be  countenanced  ? 
You  know  that  there  was  not.  On  the  contrary, 
you  know  perfectly  well  that,  while  '  the  considera 
tion  of  crime  and  offences  committed  in  the  Fifth 
Military  District  was  referred  to  the  judgment  of 
the  regular  civil  tribunals,'  a  pledge  was  given  ID 
Order  No.  40,  which  all  understood,  that  tribunal 
would  be  supported  in  their  lawful  jurisdiction,  and 


LETTER  TO  GOVERNOR  PEASE.  377 

that  *  forcible  resistance  to  law  would  be  instantly 
suppressed  by  arms.'  You  will  not  affirm  that  this 
pledge  has  ever  been  forfeited.  There  has  not  been 
a  moment  since  I  have  been  in  command  of  the  Fifth 
District  when  the  whole  military  force  in  my  hands 
has  not  been  ready  to  support  the  civil  authorities 
of  Texas  in  the  execution  of  the  laws.  And  I  am 
unwilling  to  believe  they  would  refuse  to  call  for 
aid  if  they  needed  it. 

"  There  are  some  considerations  which,  it  seems 
to  me,  should  cause  you  to  hesitate  before  indulging 
in  wholesale  censures  against  the  civil  authorities  of 
Texas.  You  are  yourself  the  chief  of  these  author 
ities,  not  elected  by  the  people,  but  created  by  the 
military.  Not  long  after  you  had  thus  come  into 
office,  all  the  judges  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Texas 
—  five  in  number — were  removed  from  office,  and 
new  appointments  made;  twelve  of  the  seventeen 
district  judges  were  removed,  and  others  appointed. 
County  officers,  more  or  less,  in  seventy-five  out  of 
one  hundred  and  twenty-eight  counties,  were  re 
moved,  and  others  appointed  in  their  places.  It  is 
fair  to  conclude  that  the  executive  and  judicial  civil 
functionaries  in  Texas  are  the  persons  whom  you 
desired  to  fill  the  offices.  It  is  proper  to  mention, 
also,  that  none  but  registered  citizens,  and  only  those 
32*  . 


378  WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

who  could  take  the  test-oath,  have  been  allowed  to 
serve  as  jurors  during  your  administration.  Now, 
it  is  against  this  local  government,  created  by  mili 
tary  power  prior  to  my  coming  here,  and  so  com 
posed  of  your  personal  and  political  friends,  that 
you  have  preferred  the  most  grievous  complaints. 
It  is  of  them  that  you  have  asserted  they  will  not 
do  their  duty ;  they  will  not  maintain  justice,  will 
not  arrest  offenders,  will  not  punish  crimes,  and  that 
out  of  one  hundred  homicides  committed  in  the  last 
twelve  months,  not  over  ten  arrests  have  been  made ; 
and  by  means  of  such  gross  disregard  of  duty,  you 
declare  that  neither  property  nor  life  is  safe  in 
Texas. 

"  Certainly  you  could  have  said  nothing  more  to 
the  discredit  of  the  officials  who  are  now  in  office. 
If  the  facts  be  as  you  allege,  a  mystery  is  presented 
for  which  I  can  imagine  no  explanation.  Why  is  it 
that  your  political  friends,  backed  up  and  sustained 
by  the  whole  military  power  of  the  United  States  in 
this  district,  should  be  unwilling  to  enforce  the  laws 
against  that  part  of  the  population  lately  in  rebellion, 
and  whom  you  represent  as  the  offenders  ?  In  all  the 
history  of  these  troubles,  I  have  never  seen  or  heard 
before  of  such  a  fact.  I  repeat,  if  the  fact  be  so,  it  is 
a  profound  mystery,  utterly  surpassing  my  compre- 


LETTER  TO  GOVERNOR  PEASK      379 

liension.  I  am  constrained  to  declare  that  I  believe 
you  are  in  very  great  error  as  to  facts.  On  careful 
examination  at  the  proper  source,  I  find  that  at  the 
date  of  your  letter  four  cases  only  of  homicides  had 
been  reported  to  these  headquarters  as  having  occur 
red  since  November  29,  1867,  the  date  of  Order  40, 
and  these  cases  were  ordered  to  be  tried  or  investi 
gated  as  soon  as  the  reports  were  received.  How 
ever,  the  fact  of  the  one  hundred  homicides  may  still 
be  correct,  as  stated  by  you.  The  Freedman's  Bu 
reau,  in  Texas,  reported  one  hundred  and  sixty ; 
how  many  of  these  were  by  Indians  and  Mexicans, 
and  how  the  remainder  were  classified,  is  not  known ; 
nor  is  it  known  whether  these  data  are  accurate. 

"  The  report  of  the  commanding  officer  of  the  Dis 
trict  of  Texas  shows  that  since  I  assumed  command 
no  applications  have  been  made  to  him,  by  you,  for 
the  arrest  of  criminals  in  the  State  of  Texas. 

"  To  this  date  eighteen  cases  of  homicides  have 
been  reported  to  me  as  having  occurred  since  No 
vember  29,  1867 ;  although  special  instructions  had 
been  given  to  report  such  cases  as  they  occur. 
Of  these,  five  were  committed  by  Indians,  one  by  a 
Mexican,  one  by  an  insane  man,  three  by  colored 
men,  two  of  women  by  their  husbands,  and  of  the 
remainder,  some  by  parties  unknown  —  all  of  which 


380  WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYERS  SON. 

could  scarcely  be  attributable  to  Order  No.  40.  If 
the  reports  received  since  the  issuing  of  Order  No. 
40  are  correct,  they  exhibit  no  increase  of  homicides 
in  my  time,  if  you  are  correct  that  one  hundred  had 
occurred  in  the  past  twelve  months. 

"  That  there  has  not  been  a  perfect  administration 
of  justice  in  Texas,  I  am  not  prepared  to  deny. 

"That  there  has  been  no  such  wanton  disregard 
of  duty  on  the  part  of  officials  as  you  allege,  I  am 
well  satisfied.  A  very  little  while  ago  you  regarded 
the  present  officials  in  Texas  the  only  ones  who 
could  be  safely  trusted  with  power.  Now  you  pro 
nounce  them  worthless,  and  would  cast  them  aside. 

"  1^  have  found  little  else  in  your  letter  but  indica 
tions  of  temper,  lashed  into  excitement  by  causes 
which  I  deem  mostly  imaginary;  a  great  confidence 
in  the  accuracy  of  your  own  opinions,  and  an  intoler 
ance  of  the  opinions  of  others  ;  a  desire  to  punish  the 
thoughts  and  feelings  of  those  who  differ  from  you, 
and  an  impatience  which  magnifies  the  shortcomings 
of  officials  who  are  perhaps  as  earnest  and  conscien 
tious  in  the  discharge  of  their  duties  as  yourself,  and 
a  most  unsound  conclusion  that  while  any  persons 
are  to  be  found  wanting  in  affection  or  respect  for 
government,  or  yielding  it  obedience  from  motives 
which  you  do  not  approve,  war,  and  not  peace,  is  the 


LETTER  TO  GOVERNOR  PEASE.      381' 

status,  and  all  such  persons  are  the  proper  subjects 
for  military  penal  jurisdiction. 

"If  I   have  written  anything  to   disabuse  your 
mind  of  so  grave  an  error,  I  shall  be  gratified. 

"I  am,  sir,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  ser 
vant, 

"W.  S.  HANCOCK, 
Major -General  Commanding" 


CHAPTER  XXXVIII. 

Hancock's  Policy  of  Reconstruction  too  honest  for  the  Carpet-Bag 
element  —  His  Command  of  the  Atlantic  Division — Transferred 
to  Dakota  —  Resumes  Command  of  the  Military  Division  of  the 
Atlantic — His  Political  Record. 

THE  policy  of  reconstruction  thus  boldly  laid  down 
by  General  HANCOCK,  based  upon  his  high  sense 
of  honor,  his  humanitarian  principles,  his  respect  for 
the  rights  of  the  people,  and  his  Constitutional  belief 
in  the  subordination  of  the  military  to  the  civil 
authority,  when  the  clangor  of  war  had  ceased  and 
the  sulphurous  smoke  of  battle  had  rolled  sullenly 
away,  could  not  but  be  objectionable  to  those  who 
desired  to  hold  the  sword  of  Damocles  perpetually 
suspended  over  the  heads  of  the  defeated ;  who.  pro 
posed  to  carry  the  camp-fire  into  the  Cabinet ;  who 
relied  upon  the  drum-head  courts-martial  to  super 
sede  trial  by  a  jury  of  peers ;  who  essayed  to  turn 
loose  upon  the  South  the  vultures  of  the  carnage- 
fields  and  the  carpet-bag  camp  followers,  whose  in 
stincts  were  those  of  plunder  and  oppression  only. 
Consequently,  the  dominant  party  in  Congress  aimed 

(382) 


SUBSEQUENT  SERVICES— POLITICAL  RECORD.  383 

hostile  legislation  at  him  with  the  intent  to  make  his 
position  too  irksome  and  embarrassing  to  be  endured. 
General  GRANT  was  brought  into  this  unworthy  fight 
by  playing  on  his  predilections  for  his  favorite,  Gen 
eral  SHERIDAN,  whose  course  was  represented  as  being 
openly  impugned  by  the  change  of  policy.  General 
HANCOCK  speedily  had  occasion  to  notice  this  change, 
and  the  revocation  of  some  of  his  orders  by  General 
GRANT  was  felt  as  a  rebuke,  an  undeserved  one,  and 
resented  accordingly.  He  was  not,  however,  to  be 
turned  from  his  course  while  in  authority,  and  he 
wrote  to  a  friend,  "  nothing  can  intimidate  me  from 
doing  what  I  believe  to  be  honest  and  right"  Still,  the 
idea  of  such  a  conflict  to  a  disciplinarian  was  un 
endurable,  and  on  February  27,  1868,  he  applied  to 
be  relieved.  This  request  was  complied  with,  March 
16, 1868,  and  he  was  assigned  to  the  command  of  the 
Military  Division  of  the  Atlantic.  Subsequently,  he 
was  transferred  to  the  Department  of  Dakota,  where, 
although  it  was  virtually  a  position  of  exile,  his  con 
stant  care,  his  courteous  treatment,  and  strict  integrity 
rendered  his  services  of  inestimable  value  in  thaV 
Territory.  Here  he  remained  three  years,  until  the 
death  of  General  MEADE,  November  16,  1872.  He 
then  resumed  command  of  the  Military  Division  of 
the  Atlantic,  with  headquarters  on  Governor's  Island, 


384  WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYERS  SON. 

New  York,  where  lie  lias  since  resided,  and  to  which 
place  was  telegraphed  on  June  24, 1880,  the  news  of 
his  enthusiastic  nomination  as  Presidential  Candidate, 
by  the  Democratic  Convention  at  Cincinnati. 

The  ill-feeling  subsisting ,  on  the  part  of  General 
GRANT  towards  General  HANCOCK  found  expression 
at  the  time  of  the  death  of  General  GEORGE  HENRY 
THOMAS,  at  San  Francisco,  March  28,  1870,  for  this 
event  left  four  major-generals  in  the  service.  HAL- 
LECK  had  served  out  a  term  of  duty  and  MEADE  pre 
ferred  to  remain  in  Philadelphia,  so  that  the  succes 
sion  to  the  command  of  the  Department  of  the  Pacifio 
was  between  HANCOCK,  the  senior,  and  SCHOFIELD, 
the  junior  major-general.  According  to  precedent, 
GRANT  should  have  sent  HANCOCK  to  the  Pacific,  but, 
remembering  the  Louisiana  episode,  he  preferred  SCHO 
FIELD.  General  HANCOCK  always  regarded  this  act 
as  a  degradation  of  rank,  caused  by  spite.  In  April, 
1870,  General  SHERMAN  wrote  to  HANCOCK  : 

"  The  President  authorizes  me  to  say  to  you  that  it 
belongs  to  his  office  to  select  the  commanding  gen 
erals  of  divisions  and  departments,  and  that  the  re 
lations  you  choose  to  assume  towards  him  officially 
and  privately  absolve  him  from  regarding  your  per 
sonal  preferences." 

In  reply,  General  HANCOCK  wrote : 


SUBSEQUENT  SERVICES— POLITICAL  RECORD.  385 

"  The  rule  that  would  place  a  junior  major-general 
in  a  higher  grade  of  command  than  a  senior  major 
general,  in  time  of  peace,  or  which  gave  all  the  major- 
generals  save  one  (and  he  not  a  junior)  divisions,  and 
that  senior  major-general  a  department  with  brig 
adier-generals  and  colonels,  and  not  allow  him  a 
choice  of  a  department  in  his  own  division,  is  cer 
tainly  a  violation  of  the  principle  upon  which  rank 
is  established,  as  well  as  the  customs  of  military 
service  in  all  countries  governed  by  law,  and  would 
equally  sanction  that  the  lieutenant-general,  who  now 
commands  a  division,  might  be  placed  in  command 
of  a  department,  while  some  one  or  all  of  the  major- 
generals  had  divisions.  As  the  President  leads  me 
to  believe  that,  because  I  have  not  his  personal  sym 
pathy,  my  preferences  for  command  will  not  be  re 
garded,  notwithstanding  my  rank,  I  shall  not  again 
open  this  subject." 

As  military  commander  of  the  Atlantic  Division, 
the  services  of  Major-General  HANCOCK,  (he  is  now 
senior  major-general  of  the  United  States  Army,) 
though  always  actively  performed,  have  not  been  of 
a  nature  to"  call  for  public  notice  or  description,  but, 
he  has  always  occupied  a  prominent  position  in  mil 
itary  and  in  social  circles.  He  is  president  of  the 
Military  Order  of  the  Loyal  Legion  and  of  several 
33  Z 


386  WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

other  military  organizations.  The  last  occasion  on 
which  he  came  before  the  notice  of  the  public  in  an 
active  military  capacity,  was  when  he  again  saved 
his  native  State  from  rapine  and  desolation,  this  time 
springing  from  internal  sources.  This  was  in  July, 
1877,  when  he  came  to  Philadelphia  to  take  com 
mand  of  the  troops  ordered  here  for  the  suppression 
of  the  riots,  and  to  his  promptness,  energy,  and 
moderation  may  justly  be  ascribed  the  speedy  ter 
mination  of  that  threatening  movement.  Thus 
again  did  he  earn  the  lasting  gratitude  of  the  citi 
zens  of  the  Keystone  State  and  of  the  city  of 
Brotherly  Love. 

To  turn  to  the  political  record  of  General  HAN 
COCK,  we  must  revert  to  his  "General  Orders  No.  40," 
and  his  equally-celebrated  letter  to  Governor  Pease, 
which  were  accepted  by  the  Democracy  in  1868  as 
his  platform,  and  one  which  met  with  their  entire 
approval.  Consequently,  but  not  by  his  own  choice, 
he  came  before  the  Democratic  National  Convention 
which  met  in  New  York  in  July,  1868,  soon  after 
his  service  in  Louisiana,  Maine — which  State  voted 
solidly  for  him  recently  at  Cincinnati  —  presenting 
his  name,  Pennsylvania's  candidate  at  that  time 
being  Asa  Packer.  Hancock  started  with  33  J  votes, 
and  ran  up  and  down,  with  no  considerable  changes, 


SUBSEQUENT  SERVICES— POLITICAL  RECORD.  387 

till  the  fifteenth  ballot,  when  he  received  79  J,  and, 
with  lively  gains,  received  144J  on  the  eighteenth 
ballot,  when  the  Convention  adjourned  to  the  follow 
ing  day.  The  chances  at  this  time  were  that  HAN 
COCK  would  be  the  choice  of  the  Convention.  On 
the  nineteenth  ballot,  taken  on  the  next  morning, 
HANCOCK  had  135 J ;  he  reached  142  J  on  the  next, 
and  on  the  twenty-first  was  back  again  to  135J. 
Pennsylvania  was  voting  as  a  unit  for  her  soldier  at 
this  time,  and  had  been  doing  so  from  the  fifteenth 
ballot.  On  the  twenty-second  ballot  Ohio  broke  for 
Seymour  and  effected  his  nomination,  although  Penn 
sylvania  stood  by  HANCOCK  to  the  last,  and  was  to 
the  last  supported  by  South  Carolina.  The  Demo 
cratic  nomination  for  Governor  of  Pennsylvania  was 
tendered  him  in  1869,  but  declined  He  was  again 
a  prominent  candidate  for  the  presidential  nomina 
tion  at  Baltimore,  in  1872.  In  the  Convention  of 
1876,  at  St.  Louis,  Hiester  Clymer,  on  behalf  of  the 
Pennsylvania  delegation,  again  presented  General 
HANCOCK  for  the  nomination.  On  the  first  ballot 
he  had  75  votes  —  58  from  Pennsylvania,  2  each 
from  Alabama,  Iowa,  and  Texas,  5  each  from  Loui 
siana  and  North  Carolina,  and  1  from  Georgia.  On 
the  second  ballot,  when  most  of  the  States  went  for 


388  WINFIELD,  THE  LAWYER'S  SON. 

Tilden,  Pennsylvania  remained  by  HANCOCK  with  her 
58  votes. 

That  for  twelve  years  he  has  retained  the  esteem, 
the  confidence,  and  the  affection  of  the  great  Demo 
cratic  party  is  an  honor  of  which  he  might  well  be 
proud,  for  during  the  whole  of  that  time,  wherever 
the  name  of  HANCOCK  was  heard  in  Democratic 
gatherings,  it  was  the  signal  for  a  burst  of  enthu 
siasm  or  a  quietly-uttered  warm  eulogium,  which 
found  its  vent  in  the  recent  Convention  and  carried 
all  by  storm,  as  he  was  wont  to  do  the  works  of  an 
enemy,  with  a  steady,  resistless  sweep  as  "superb" 
as  the  hero  himself. 

Here  we  must  again  turn  aside  and  ask  the  reader 
to  visit  Cincinnati  with  us ;  take  a  seat  in  its  Music 
Hall,  and  listen  to  the  surging  swell  of  applause  as 
the  name  of  "HANCOCK"  is  made  the  unanimous 
choice  of  the  Democratic  National  Convention. 


CHAPTER  XXXIX. 

The  Cincinnati  Convention,  which  Nominated  Major- General  Win 
field  Scott  Hancock,  U.  S.  A.,  for  President  of  the  United  State*, 
June  24,  1880. 

PUKSUANT  to  call,  the  National  Democratic 
Convention,  to  nominate  candidates  for  Presi 
dent  and  Vice-President,  met  in  the  Music  Hall, 
Cincinnati,  Ohio,  on  the  morning  of  Tuesday,  June 
22,  1880.  The  Music  Hall  began  to  fill  soon  after 
eleven  o'clock,  the  seating  capacity  being  perhaps 
about  one-half  that  of  the  building  used  at  Chicago. 
The  platform  was  at  the  west  end  of  the  hall,  and 
there  were  galleries  on  the  north  and  south  sides. 
These  were  filled  with  spectators,  quite  a  number  of 
whom  were  ladies.  The  positions  for  the  delegates 
in  the  body  of  the  hall  were  indicated  by  blue  silk 
bannerets,  edged  with  gold,  and  bearing  the  names 
of  the  different  States.  A  profusion  of  bunting  dec 
orated  the  sides  and  windows,  and  a  blue  canvas, 
bearing  the  words  "  Ohio  greets  the  nation,"  hung 
from  the  centre  of  the  ceiling.  The  large  organ  at 
the  back  of  the  platform  and  a  military  band  afforded 

33*  (389) 


390  THE  CINCINNATI  CONVENTION. 

plenty  of  music.  Among  the  decorations  brought  b^ 
the  delegates  were  some  handsome  banners  —  one  of 
dark  velvet,  with  a  medallion-portrait  of  Samuel  J. 
Randall ;  another  with  an  embroidered  owl,  indicating 
the  Americus  Club ;  and  yet  another,  with  the  like 
ness  of  Hendricks  and  the  words  "Indiana  —  For 
President,  Thomas  A.  Hendricks." 

Ex-Senator  Barnum,  of  Connecticut,  called  the 
Convention  to  order  at  12.45  P.  M.,  after  which  Rev. 
Charles  W.  Wendle,  of  the  Unitarian  Church,  de 
livered  the  opening  prayer,  in  which  he  spoke  of  the 
young  Democracy  of  America  as  the  refuge  and 
asylum  for  the  distressed  and  downtrodden  through 
out  the  world,  the  light  and  hope  of  the  nations,  and 
prayed  that  with  an  unfaltering  hand  every  unjust 
law  on  the  statute-book  might  be  erased,  and  our 
political  life  purged  from  every  evil  that  keeps  back 
the  people  from  the  highest  measure  of  virtue  and 
happiness.  He  continued : 

"Above  all,  let  there  be  an  end  of  all  sectional 
divisions  and  strifes.  Let  every  root  of  bitterness, 
every  occasion  of  estrangement,  be  removed,  and  let 
our  whole  people,  forgetting  the  things  that  are 
behind,  and  pressing  forward  to  the  things  that  are 
before,  be  united  heart  and  hand  in  the  bonds  of 
mutual  confidence  and  good- will.  Help  this  Conven- 


HANCOCK  AND  ENGLISH.  391 

tion  to  choose  for  leaders,  in  the  approaching  and 
honorable  struggle,  men  of  large  wisdom  and  expe 
rience  ;  of  lofty  character  and  irreproachable  life ; 
men -time  and  fearless  in  the  hour  of  trial,  yet  ardent 
lovers  of  justice  and  peace.  Enable  the  members  of 
this  Convention  to  rise  above  all  self-seeking,  and 
personal  preferences,  and  indiscreet  party  zeal,  into 
the  larger  sentiment  of  public  good  of  American 
nationality  and  human  brotherhood.  Let  them  re 
member  that  he  serves  his  party  best  who  serves 
God.  We  ask  that  our  action  to-day  may  be  well 
pleasing  in  the  sight  of  God." 

Under  the  instructions  of  the  National  Commit 
tee,  Mr.  Barnum  presented  the  name  of  Hon.  George 
Hoadley,  of  Ohio,  for  temporary  chairman,  which 
was  agreed  to.  Judge  Hoadley,  on  taking  his  seat, 
made  an  address,  in  which,  after  thanking  the  Con 
vention  for  the  confidence  reposed  in  him,  he  pledged 
himself  to  the  exercise  of  the  strictest  impartiality 
in  exercising  the  authority  with  which  he  had  been 
invested.  He  alluded  to  the  Convention  at  St.  Louis 
four  years  ago,  and  claimed  that  its  nominees,  Samuel 
J.  Tilden  and  Thomas  A.  Hendricks,  had  been  as 
fairly  elected  as  George  Washington  or  James  Mon 
roe,  and  that,  in  consequence  of  their  not  having 
been  inaugurated,  "  government  by  the  people  "  in 


392  THR  CINCINNATI  CONVENTION 

the  executive  department  has  been  in  abeyance  since 
March  4,  1877.  He  closed  with  the  hope  that  vigi 
lance  would  ensure  victory  to  the  Democratic  prin 
ciples  and  the  Democratic  candidates;  that  the  "mel 
ancholy  days  of  November "  shall  be  radiant  with 
joy,  and  on  the  wings  of  the  strong  winds  of  March 
shall  be  wafted  blessings. 

The  following  were  nominated  and  accepted  as  the 
remaining  temporary  officers : 

Mr.  F.  0.  Prince,  Massachusetts,  temporary  sec 
retary. 

ASSISTANT  SECRETARIES.  —  George  W.  Guthrie, 
Pennsylvania;  Charles  Eidley,  Tennessee;  C.  S. 
Dodd,  Ohio;  O.  M.  Hall,  Minnesota;  Major  A. 
Orendorff,  Illinois;  William  H.  Gill,  New  Jersey; 
and  A.  C.  Parkinson,  Wisconsin. 

EEADING  CLERKS. — Neal  S.  Brown,  Jr.,  Eeading 
Clerk  of  the  United  States  House  of  Eepresenta- 
tives;  Mark  A.  Hardin,  Georgia;  T.  0.  Walker, 
Iowa;  Thomas  S.  Pettit,  of  the  House  of  Eepre- 
sentatives ;  Nicholas  M.  Bell,  Missouri ;  James  E. 
Morrison,  New  York ;  and  H.  L.  Bryan,  Delaware. 

SERGE  ANT- AT-ARMS. —  Isaac  L.  Miller,  Ohio. 

OFFICIAL  STENOGRAPHER. — Edward  B.  Dickin- 
son,  New  York. 

On  motion  of  Mr.  Beebe,  New  York,  the  rules  of 


HANCOCK  AND  ENGLISH.  393 

the  last  National  Convention  were  adopted.  Mr. 
Martin,  Delaware,  offered  a  resolution  for  a  call  of 
the  roll  by  States  for  Committees  on  Permanent 
Organization,  Credentials,  and  Resolutions,  which 
was  adopted,  though  Mr.  "Weed  (New  York)  de 
sired  a  roll-call  for  the  presentation  of  credentials. 
The  roll-call  was  then  proceeded  with  until  New 
York  was  called  on  the  Credentials  Committee, 
when  John  Kelly,  who  was  in  the  rear  of  the  dele 
gation,  rose  and  claimed  the  attention  of  the  Chair 
This  produced,  for  a  time,  considerable  confusion,' 
which,  however,  was  promptly  checked  by  the  pre 
siding  officer,  who  declined  to  allow  the  roll-call  to 
be  interrupted. 

The  Committees  on  Permanent  Organization,  Reso 
lutions,  and  Credentials  were  then  appointed. 

Mr.  A  very,  of  Massachusetts,  moved  that  when  the 
Convention  adjourn  it  be  to  ten  o'clock  next  morning. 

Mr.  Martin,  of  Delaware,  moved  an  amendment 
to  make  the  hour  of  reconvening  six  o'clock  that 
evening. 

Mr.  Martin  subsequently  withdrew  his  amend 
ment,  and  Mr.  Avery's  motion  was  adopted. 

After  some  unimportant  discussion  about  Press 
tickets,  Mr.  Watterson,  of  Kentucky,  presented  an 
application,  on  behalf  of  the  delegates  from  the  Ter- 


394  THE  CINCINNATI  CONVENTION. 

ritories,  asking  recognition  in  the  Convention,  which 
was  referred  without  discussion  to  the  Committee  on 
Permanent  Organization. 

David  A.  Wells,  of  Connecticut,  offered  the  usual 
resolution  referring  to  the  Committee  on  Resolu 
tions,  without  debate,  all  resolutions  regarding  the 
platform.  Adopted. 

The  Convention  then  adjourned  for  the  day. 

After  the  adjournment  of  the  Convention,  the 
Committee  on  Permanent  Organization  organized  by 
electing  Mr.  Martin,  of  Delaware,  chairman,  and  Mr. 
Dawson,  of  South  Carolina,  secretary.  The  Com 
mittee  by  a  unanimous  vote  determined  to  report  to 
the  Convention  the  name  of  J.  W.  Stevenson,  of 
Kentucky,  for  permanent  president,  and  the  follow 
ing  list  of  vice-presidents  and  secretaries : 


State*, 

Vice-P)'esidents. 

Secretaries. 

Alabama    .     . 

.     C.  C.  Langdon   .     . 

.    J.  S.  Ferguson. 

Arkansas    .     . 

.     C.  A.  Gault  .     .     . 

.    J.  P.  Coffin. 

California  .     . 

.     W.  C.  Hendricks    . 

.     J.'  B.  Metcalf. 

Colorado    .     . 

.     Alva  Adams  .     .     . 

.     John  Stone. 

Connecticut    . 

.     Curtis  Bacon      .     . 

.     Samuel  Simpson. 

Delaware  .     . 

.     James  Williams.     . 

.     A.  P.  Robinson. 

Florida  .     . 

.     Wm.  Judge   .     .     . 

.     J.  B.  Marshall. 

Georgia      .     . 

.     J.  R.  Alexander 

.     Mark  A.  Hardin. 

Illinois  .     .     . 

.     H.  M.  Vanderen     . 

.     W.  A.  Day. 

Indiana.     .     . 

.     J.  R.  Slack    .     .     . 

.     Rufus  Magee. 

Iowa      .     .     . 

.     S.  B.  Evami  .     .     . 

.     J.  J.  Snouffer. 

Kansas  .     .     . 

.     W.  V.  Bennett  .     . 

.     J.  B.  Chapman. 

HANCOCK  AND  ENGLISH. 


395 


States. 
Kentucky  .     .     . 
Louisiana  .     .     . 
Maine    .... 
Maryland   .     .     . 
Massachusetts     . 
Michigan    .    .     . 
Minnesota  . 

Vice-Presidents. 
Henry  Burnett  .     .     . 
J.  D.  Jeiferies    .     .     . 
Darius  Alden     .     .     . 
Philip  F.  Thomas  .     . 
Jonas  II.  French     .     . 
Charles  II.  Richmond  . 
L  L.  Baxter  .... 

Secretaries. 
T.  G.  Stuart. 
Martin  McNamara. 
John  R.  Redman. 
Morris  A.  Thomas. 
John  M.  Thayer. 
A.  J.  Shakspeare. 
L.  A.  Evans. 

Mississippi       .     . 
Missouri  «... 

W.  S.  Featherstone     . 
B.  F.  Dillon  .... 

R.  C.  Patty. 
N.  C.  Dryden. 

Nebraska   . 

R.  S.  Maloney    .     .     . 

James  North. 

Nevada  .     .     .  '   , 
New  Hampshire  . 
New  Jersey    .     . 
New  York      .     . 
North  Carolina   . 
Ohio      .... 

Not  named. 
Frank  Jones  .... 
Hezekiah  B.  Smith     . 
Not  named. 
W.  T.  Dortch     .     .     . 

Charles  A.  Busiel. 
James  S.  Coleman. 

R.  M.  Furman. 
C.  T.  Lewis. 

Oregon  .... 
Pennsylvania  .     . 
Rhode  Island  .     . 
South  Carolina    . 
Tennessee  .     .  :  . 

J.  W.  Winson     .     .     . 
D.  E.  Ermentrout. 
Thomas  W.  Segar  .     . 
M.  0.  Butler  .... 
J.  W.  Childress  .     .     . 

A.  Noltner. 

John  Waters. 
J.  R.  Abney. 
C.  L  Ridley. 

Texas     .     .     .     . 
Vermont    .    f     '. 
Virginia     ...     . 
West  Virginia 
Wisconsin  . 

Joel  W.  Robinson  .     . 
Nathan  P.  Bowman    . 
J.  W.  Daniel  .... 
C.  P.  Snyder      .     .     . 
J.  C.  Gregory    . 

B.  P.  Paddock. 
II.  W.  McGettrick. 
R.  W.  Hunter. 
II.  C.  Simms. 
J.  M.  Smith. 

The  committee  then  recommended  that  the  secre 
taries,  reading  clerks,  and  sergeant-at-arms  of  the 
temporary  organization  be  retained.  The  report  con 
cluded  as  follows : 

"The  committee  further  report  that  they  have  duly 
considered  the  memorial  in  relation  to  the  represen- 


396  THE  CINCINNATI  CONVENTION. 

tation  of  the  District  of  Columbia  and  of  the  Terri 
tories,  and  have  heard  the  arguments  of  the  me 
morialists,  and  respectfully  commend  the  following 
resolution : 

"  Resolved,  That  two  delegates  from  the  District  of 
Columbia,  and  two  delegates  from  each  of  the  Terri 
tories,  be  admitted  to  the  Convention,  and  have  the 
right  to  participate  in  debate,  and  every  other  right 
and  privilege  enjoyed  by  delegates  from  the  States, 
excepting  only  the  right  to  vote." 

The  Committee  on  Credentials  met  immediately 
after  the  adjournment,  and  was  organized  by  the 
election  of  P.  M.  B.  Young,  of  Georgia,  chairman, 
and  A.  '"Woltner,  of  Oregon,  secretary.  The  Tarn- 
many  men  met  with  the  committee,  but  were  re 
quested  to  withdraw.  A  delegate  from  Arkansas 
objected  to  Smith  M.  Weed,  of  New  York,  sitting  as 
a  member  of  the  Credentials  Committee,  inasmuch 
as  his  own  seat  was  contested.  The  Chairman  ruled 
the  objection  out  of  order,  as  there  was  no  notice  of 
the  contest  before  the  committee.  A  long  time  was 
spent  in  fixing  the  length  of  time  for  argument.  It 
ivas  finally  resolved  to  give  each  side  an  hour  and  a 
half  to  present  its  case.  The  committee  then  ad 
journed  to  meet  at  seven  o'clock.  The  question  of 
admitting  Tammany  led  to  a  long  discussion,  and  at 
eleven  o'clock  the  committee  went  into  secret  session, 


HANCOCK  AND  ENGLISH.  397 

and  at  12.15,  by  a  vote  of  32  to  4,  Arkansas,  Colo 
rado,  New  Jersey,  and  Delaware  voting  no,  voted  in 
favor  of  allowing  the  sitting  delegates  from  New 
York  to  retain  their  seats. 

The  Committee  on  Kesolutions  elected  Henry  Wat- 
terson,  of  Kentucky,  chairman.  The  committee  gave 
a  hearing  to  the  advocates  of  woman  suffrage.  Susan 
B.  Anthony,  Mrs.  Matilda  Joslyn  Gage,  Mrs.  Lillie 
Deveraux  Blake,  and  Mrs.  Marxweather,  of  Ten 
nessee,  spoke.  Henry  "Watterson  presided,  and  ex 
pressed  himself  as  very  favorable  to  their  request  for 
recognition  in  the  platform.  Several  other  members 
avowed  themselves  in  their  favor. 

The  committee  did  not  reassemble  until  late  in  the 
evening,  with  Henry  "Watterson  as  chairman,  and 
John  P.  Irish,  of  Iowa,  as  secretary. 

The  representatives  of  the  different  States  then, 
under  a  resolution,  submitted  the  resolutions  which 
they  desired  to  be  incorporated  in  the  platform,  and 
one  or  more  were  submitted  from  most  of  the  States. 
They  were  all  referred  to  a  sub-committee  of  nine, 
appointed  by  the  Chair,  and  consisting  of  the  follow 
ing  persons :  Messrs.  "Watterson,  chairman ;  Wells, 
of  Connecticut ;  Borksdale,  of  Mississippi ;  Myers, 
of  Oregon ;  Fuller,  of  Illinois ;  Ireland,  of  Texas ; 
Irish,  'of  Iowa ;  Cassidy,  -of  Pennsylvania,  and  How- 
34 


398  THE  CINCINNATI  CONVENTION. 

ells,  of  Georgia.  The  committee  then  adjourned 
to  nine  o'clock  the  following  morning,  and  at  half- 
past  eleven  the  sub-committee  began  its  task  of  sift 
ing  and  classifying  the  resolutions  referred  to  it. 

• 
SECOND  DAY'S  SESSION,  JUNE  23,  1880. 

On  Wednesday  the  Convention  was  called  to 
order,  by  Judge  Hoadley,  at  10.45  A.  M.,  and  prayer 
was  offered  by  Rev.  Dr.  Taylor,  of  Covington,  Ky. 
Aftev  the  prayer,  and  the  presentation  of  the  report 
of  the  Committee  on  Permanent  Organization,  which 
we  have  given  previously,  commenced  the  first  fight 
of  the  Convention,  namely,  that  on  the  contested 
Beats  of  New  York,  and  this  lasted  from  shortly 
after  eleven  o'clock  until  after  one  o'clock  P.  M. 

The  majority  and  minority  reports  of  the  Com 
mittee  on  Credentials  were  then  read.  The  majority 
report  favored  the  admission  of  the  two  delegations 
from  the  State  of  Massachusetts,  the  united  dele 
gation  to  cast  the  vote  to  which  the  State  is  entitled ; 
that  in  the  case  of  Pennsylvania,  the  sitting  dele 
gates  were  entitled  to  retain  their  seats ;  and  that  in 
the  case  of  the  New  York  contest,  the  sitting  dele 
gates  also  be  recognized. 

The  minority  report  dealt  only  with  the  New 
York  contest,  and  recommended  that  the  Faulkner 


HANCOCK  AND  ENGLISH.  399 

branch,  be  allowed  to  cast  fifty  votes,  and  the  Shake 
speare  Hall  branch  twenty  votes,  in  the  Convention ; 
each  division  to  determine  its  own  methods  of  count 
ing  such  votes. 

By  a  vote  of  316  yeas  to  295  nays,  the  previous 
question  was  called,  and  twenty  minutes  allowed  the 
sitting  delegates,  and  forty  minutes  the  contestants, 
to  discuss  the  matter. 

The  discussion  which  followed  is  hardly  of  suf 
ficient  importance  to  occupy  our  space,  the  point  at 
issue  not  being  vital  in  view  of  the  fact  that  it  was 
well  understood  that  Ex-Governor  SAMUEL  J.  TIL- 
DEN  had  sent  a  letter  of  declination,  and  was  not  a 
candidate  before  the  Convention.  The  following 
gentlemen  advocated  Tammany's  claims :  George  "W. 
Miller  and  Judge  Amasa  J.  Parker  of  Albany,  and 
Governor  Hubbard  of  Texas.  John  K.  Fellows  of 
New  York,  Eufus  W.  Peckham  of  Albany,  and  P 
M.  B.  Young  of  Georgia,  followed  for  the  majority 
report,  which  was  finally  adopted  by  a  vote  of  457  to 
205  J :  so  tne  sitting  members  from  New  York  re 
tained  their  seats,  and  the  Tammany  delegates  were 
complimentarily  invited  to  the  floor. 

This  matter  having  been  settled,  the  report  of  the 
Committee  on  Permanent  Organization  was  adopted, 
and,  in  accordance  with  it,  Governor  Stephenson  waa 


400  THE  CINCINNATI  CONVENTION. 

duly  installed  as  permanent  President  of  the  Con 
vention.  On  assuming  the  chair,  he  made  an  excel 
lent  address,  in  which  he  referred  to  the  days  of 
Thomas  Jefferson,  when  then,  as  now,  there  were 
men  ready  to  trample  upon  the  popular  will ;  there 
are  men,  he  said,  "  who  would  now  attempt,  and  have 
succeeded,  in  deposing  those  who  were  elevated  to 
high  offices  from  enjoying  the  high  confidence  given 
to  them."  He  continued :  "  We  enter  upon  the  twenty- 
fourth  Presidential  election  since  the  organization  of 
the  Government.  You  put  forward  your  declaration 
of  political  faith,  as  it  always  has  been,  as  it  still  is. 
We  believe  that  this  is  a  limited  Government,  and 
that  no  power  not  granted  by  the  Constitution  can  be 
exercised  by  that  Government.  We  believe  in  a  free 
press.  We  believe  in  a  popular  education.  We  be 
lieve  and  declare  that  this  people  will  stand  no  taxa 
tion  not  demanded  by  an  economical  administration 
of  the  Government.  But,  above  all,  we  believe  repre 
sentation  rests  on  suffrage,  and  that  every  suffrage 
must  be  preserved  sacred  that  every  man  casts,  and 
must  be  counted ;  and  that  the  people  who  receive  the 
majority  of  these  votes  must  and  shall  be  the  officers." 
In  conclusion,  he  said :  "  Let  your  nominees  receive 
your  support,  and  there  will  be  triumphal  joy  from 
every  delegate  and  every  Democrat." 


HANCOCK  AND  ENGLISH.  401 

At  the  conclusion  of  Governor  Steplienson's  speech, 
Henry  Watterson,  of  Kentucky,  Chairman  of  the  Com- 
mittee  on  Eesolutions,  announced  that  they  were  not 
then  ready  to  report,  and  they  were  promptly  excused 
by  the  Convention.  After  a  resolution  of  thanks  to 
Judge  Hoadley,  the  temporary  Chairman,  had  been 
warmly  and  unanimously  adopted,  the  Convention, 
on  the  motion  of  Mr.  Breckinridge,  of  Kentucky, 
proceeded  to  the  nomination  of  candidates.  The 
first  name  presented  was  that  of  Judge  Field,  the 
nomination  being  made  by  Mr.  McElrath,  of  Califor 
nia,  and  seconded  by  Mr.  Alva  Adams,  of  Colorado. 
Honorable  Thomas  F.  Bayard  was  then  named,  amid 
a  storm  of  applause,  by  Attorney -General  George 
Gray,  of  Delaware,  who  supported  the  presentation 
in  an  able  speech.  Colonel  Morrison,  of  Illinois,  was 
named  by  Mr.  Marshall,  of  that  State.  Ex-Governor 
Hendricks,  of  Indiana,  was  then  put  in  nomination 
by  Senator  Dan  Yoorhees,  and  the  "  Tall  Sycamore 
of  the  W  abash  "  eloquently  presented  the  claims  of 
his  candidate,  and,  en  passant,  remarked :  "  I  know 
the  accomplished  jurist  of  California.  I  know  the 
able  and  distinguished  Senator  from  Delaware.  I- 
know  the  gallant,  iron-hearted,  brave  man  from  Illi 
nois,  Colonel  Morrison.  I  know  them  all.  I  am 
proud  to  do  them  honor.  Every  name  thus  far  is 
34*  *  2  A 


4:02  THE  CINCINNATI  CONVENTION. 

worthy  of  this  great  presence ;  and  yet  I  venture  in 
this  comparison  to  announce  the  name  of  Thomas  A. 
Hendricks."  He  was  interrupted  for  some  moments 
by  enthusiastic  cheering ;  and,  when  it  subsided,  he 
continued  in  a  ringing  speech,  provoking  from  time 
to  time  a  renewal  of  the  cheering.  Mr.  Sulstonstall, 
of  Massachusetts,  then  made  an  excellent  speech  to 
second  the  nomination  of  Senator  Bayard.  New 
York,  by  the  silent  head-shake  of  Chairman  Man 
ning,  indicated  that  it  had  no  candidate  to  present. 
Senator  Thurman,  of  Ohio,  was  next  nominated  by 
Mr.  John  McSweeny,  of  that  State,  and  the  applause 
which  greeted  this  presentation  was  intensified  by 
a  humorous'imitation  of  Koscoe  Conkling's  Chicago 
effort,  in  the  following : 

If  you  ask  what  State  he  came  from, 

Our  sole  response  shall  be, 
"  He  comes  from  Ohio-o, 

And  his  name  is  Allen  G." 

Shouts  of  laughter  welcomed  this  happy  hit,  and  the 
Ohio  delegation  gave  him  three  hearty  cheers  when 
he  resumed  his  seat. 

Then  came  the  sensation  of  the  day,  when  Ron. 
Daniel  Dougherty,  of  Philadelphia,  presented  the 
oame  of 


HANCOCK  AND  ENGLISH.  403 

WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK, 

of  Pennsylvania,  in  the  following  polished  specimen 
of  cultivated  oratory. 

"  I  rise  to  nominate  one  whose  name  would  recon- 
.cile  all  factions,  whose  election  would  crush  the  last 
embers  of  sectional  strife  and  be  hailed  as  the  dawn 
ing  of  the  day  of  perpetual  brotherhood.  With  him 
we  can  fling  away  our  shields  and  wage  an  aggressive 
war.  "We  can  appeal  to  the  supreme  tribunal  of  the 
American  people  against  the  corruption  of  the  Re 
publican  party  and  their  untold  violations  of  consti 
tutional  liberty.  With  him  as  our  chieftain  the 
bloody  banner  of  the  Republicans  will  fall  from  their 
palsied  grasp.  Oh !  my  countrymen !  in  this  supreme 
moment,  when  the  destinies  of  the  Republic  are  at 
stake,  when  the  liberties  of  the  people  are  imperilled, 
I  rise  to  present  to  the  thoughtful  consideration  of 
this  Convention  the  name  of  one  who,  on  the  field 
of  battle,  was  styled  '  the  Superb,'  yet  who  has  won 
a  nobler  renown  as  the  military  Governor,  whose  first 
act,  on  assuming  command  of  Louisiana  and  Texas, 
was  to  salute  the  Constitution  by  proclaiming,  amid 
the  joyous  greetings  of  an  oppressed  people,  that  the 
military,  save  in  actual  war,  shall  be  subservient  to 
the  civil  power.  The  plighted  word  of  the  soldier 
was  proved  in  the  statesman's  acts.  I  name  him 


«i04:  THE  CINCINNATI  CONVENTION. 

whose  name  will  suppress  every  faction,  will  be  alike 
acceptable  to  the  North  and  South,  and  will  thrill 
the  land  from  end  to  end.  The  people  hang  breath 
less  on  your  deliberation.  Take  heed  !  Make  no  mis 
step  !  I  nominate  one  who  can  carry  every  Southern. 
State,  and  who  can  carry  Pennsylvania,  Indiana, 
Connecticut,  New  Jersey,  and  New  York  —  the 
soldier-statesman  with  a  record  as  stainless  as  his 
sword  is  keen  —  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK,  of 
Pennsylvania.  If  elected,  he  will  take  his  seat." 

The  applause  which  followed  this  speech  lasted 
fully  five  minutes.  Then  came  another  burst  of 
cheering  when  General  WADE  HAMPTON,  of  South 
Carolina,  took  the  platform  to  speak  in  support  of 
Senator  BAYARD,  as  a  second  seconder.  In  closing  a 
capital  address,  he  said  : 

"When  the  Greeks  were  returning  from  a  great 
victory,  the  generals  were  called  upon  to  vote  for  the 
two  men  whom  they  thought  most  worthy  of  honor, 
and  the  name  of  Pericles  was  found  on  every  ballot. 
So  the  name  of  THOMAS  F.  BAYARD  is  always  placed, 
if  not  first,  at  least  second  and  we  choose  to  take  the 
second  man." 

Governor  Hubbard,  of  Texas,  then  seconded  the 
nomination  of  General  HANCOCK.  He  said  it  wag 
peculiarly  fit  that  Texas  and  Louisiana  should  re- 


HANCOCK  AND  ENGLISH.  406 

spond  to  HANCOCK'S  nomination,  because,  when  the 
war  closed,  there  came  down  through  the  South  a 
race  of  carpet-baggers,  like  the  Yandals  of  old,  prey 
ing  on  her  wasted  substance,  and  the  jails  and  bas- 
tiles  were  filled  with  prisoners  by  order  of  the  mili 
tary  governors,  and  then,  in  that  darkness  of  the 
night,  there  came  a  voice,  saying,  "  The  war  has 
closed ;  unbar  your  dungeons  and  open  your  forts." 
That  man  was  HANCOCK.  "  It  is  an  easy  thing,"  he 
said,  "  to  be  a  summer  friend.  The  world  and  Hades 
are  full  of  them.  But  this  man  knew  that  he  was 
in  the  power  of  the  Republican  party,  and  his  offi 
cial  head  was  cut  off.  That  is  a  man  to  whom  it 
will  do  to  intrust  the  standard  of  our  party." 

Mr.  String-fellow,  of  Virginia,  seconded  JucJge 
Field,  and  Mr.  Goode,  of  Yirginia,  seconded  Senator 
Thurman.  Then  Mr.  J.  "W.  Daniels,  of  Virginia, 
took  the  stand  for  General  HANCOCK,  and  made  a 
stirring  speech,  closing  with  a  reference  to  the  blue 
and  the  gray  joining  in  one  hurrah  for  the  nominee. 

The  roll  of  States  being  concluded,  Mr.  Breckin- 
ridge  moved  to  proceed  to  a  ballot ;  but  Judge  Hoad- 
ley  submitted  a  motion  to  adjourn,  which  was,  how* 
ever,  voted  down  by  a  vote  of  395  yeas  to  317  yeas : 
so  the  roll-call  proceeded. 

There  was  prolonged  applause  when   Kentucky 


406  THE  CINCINNATI  CONVENTION. 

cast  5  votes  for  Samuel  J.  Tilden,  and  finally  the 
result  was  announced,  as  follows : 

Delegates.         .  Delegates. 


Randall 6 

Loveland 5 

McDonald 3 

McClellan , 3 

Parker 1 

Black 1 

Jewett 1 

English 1 

Lothrop 1 


Hancock 171 

Bayard 153£ 

Payne 81 

Thurman 68£ 

Field 65 

Morrison 62 

Hendricks 50£ 

Tilden 38 

Ewing 10 

Seymour 8 

Total  delegates  voting 729J 

Absent 8J 

Total  delegates 738 

It  r.hould  be  here  mentioned  that  each  delegate, 
under  the  Democratic  rules,  has  only  half  a  vote. 
There  were  369  full  votes  in  the  Convention ;  num 
ber  necessary  to  a  choice,  under  the  two-thirds  rule, 
246,  or  the  assent  of  492  delegates.  Of  the  scatter 
ing  votes  cast,  no  heed  need  be  taken,  for  it  was  evident 
that  there  were  but  two  actual  candidates  in  the  field. 

The  Convention  then,  at  6.07  P.  M.,  adjourned  until 
10  o'clock  on  Thursday  morning. 

THIRD  DAY'S  SESSION,  JUNE  24,  1880. 
When  Thursday  dawned,  with  a  lowering  sky  and 
a  sultry  atmosphere,  it  looked  upon  many  who  had 


HANCOCK  AND  ENGLISH.  407 

not  troubled  the  realms  of  sleep  to  any  great  extent. 
As  the  hour  for  re-assembling  drew  near,  the  dele 
gates  slowly  filed  into  their  places,  there  was  an  evi 
dent  feeling  that  the  struggle  was  over,  the  excite 
ment  of  suspense  was  past.  The  door-keepers 
retained  the  platform  and  press  tickets,  and  every 
thing  around  gave  evidence  of  a  speedy  winding  up 
of  business.  Beneath  all  this,  however,  there  was  a 
suppressed  enthusiasm,  only  kept  in  bounds  by  fatigue 
and  a  desire  not  to  hinder  the  march  of  events. 
President  Stephenson  called  the  Convention  to 
order  at  10.35  A.  M.,  and  prayer  was  offered  by  Rev. 
Dr.  Taylor,  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
South. 

Mr.  Peckham,  of  New  York,  on  behalf  of  the 
delegation  from  that  State,  referred  to  the  votes  cast 
yesterday  for  the  Hon.  Samuel  J.  Tilden,  and  stated 
that  the  delegation  had  received  a  letter  from  that 
gentleman  renouncing  all  claims  and  all  candidacy. 
He  desired  to  place  the  letter  at  the  disposal  of  the 
Convention,  and  to  state  that  the  New  York  dele 
gation  had  agreed  upon  Speaker  Randall  as  their 
candidate.  On  a  viva  voce  vote,  the  Convention  de 
clined  to  have  the  letter  read.  A  resolution  intro 
duced  by  Mr.  Thomas,  of  Kentucky,  denouncing  as 
unconstitutional  and  unrepublican  any  State  law 


408  THE  CINCINNATI  CONVENTION. 

affecting  a  citizen  on  account  of  religious  or  ncn- re 
ligious  views,  was  referred,  and  the  roll-call  for  the 
second  ballot  was  proceeded  with,  resulting  as 
follows : 

Delegates.                                                Delegates 
Hendricks 31 


Hancock 320 

Randall 128J 

Bayard 113 

Field 65J 

Thurman...  ,  50 


English IS 

Tilden 6 

Parker 2 

Jewett...  1 


Total  delegates  voting 736 

Delegates  absent ^ 2 

Total  delegates 738 

Some  difficulty  arose  when  Ohio  was  called,  and 
finally  the  entire  44  votes  were  cast  for  Thurman. 
Meanwhile,  before  the  official  announcement  was 
made,  State  after  State  began  to  change  their  votes 
to  HANCOCK,  Wisconsin  leading  off  with  20,  and 
New  Jersey  following  with  18.  Malcolm  Hay,  of 
Pennsylvania,  then  cast  the  entire  vote  of  Pennsyl 
vania  for  Hancock  amid  prolonged  cheering.  After 
all  the  changes  had  been  made,  the  result  on  the 
amended  roll-call  was  as  follows :  HANCOCK,  705 ; 
Hendricks,  30;  Tilden,  1;  Bayard,  2. 

Mr.  Mack,  of  Indiana,  moved  to  make  the  nomi 
nation  unanimous,  and  spoke  in  favor  of  his  motion. 
Speaker  Eandall  and  Senator  Wallace  of  Pennsyl 


HANCOCK  AND  ENGLISH.  409 

vania,  General  Wade  Hampton  of  South  Carolina, 
and  Judge  Hoadley  of  Ohio  then  followed  in  elo 
quent  support  of  Mr.  Mack's  motion. 

The  Chair  then  put  the  motion  as  follows :  "  The 
motion  has  been  made  that  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HAN 
COCK  be  declared  unanimously  elected  the  Democratic 
President  of  these  United  States.  (Great  laughter 
and  applause.)  Those  in  favor  will  say  aye.  (Shouts 
of  ayes.)  You  who  are  opposed  will  say  no.  The 
motion  is  unanimously  adopted,  and  HANCOCK  is 
elected." 

For  a  moment  or  two  the  humorous  blunder  of  the 
closing  sentence  was  not  noticed,  but  when  the  Con 
vention  finally  caught  the  full  effect  of  the  remark, 
the  tumultuous  applause  and  laughter  broke  forth 
again.  The  appearance  of  a  transparency  with  the 
legend,  "For  President,  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HAN 
COCK,"  and  the  tunes  "  Dixie  "  and  "  Hail  Columbia," 
with  which  the  band  and  the  organ  enlivened  the 
scene,  set  the  entire  assemblage  on  platform,  floor, 
and  in  the  galleries  wild  with  enthusiastic  excite 
ment.  When  order  was  restored,  the  tall  form  of 
Senator  Yoorhees  was  noticed  above  the  excited 
throng,  and  obtaining  the  ear  of  the  Convention,  he 
spoke  boldly  for  the  Democracy  of  Indiana  in  favor 
of  General  HANCOCK.  He  claimed  that  the  record 

35 


410  THE  CINCINNATI  CONVENTION. 

of  the  nominee  was  not  alone  to  be  found  on  battle 
fields,  for  he  had  uplifted  the  down-trodden  civil 
authorities,  he  had  made  a  second  Declaration  of 
Constitutional  liberty,  and  set  an  example  for  his 
own,  and  our  future  generations  of  obedience  to  that 
great  framework  devised  by  our  fathers,  and  pro 
tected  by  their  bravery,  and  enjoyed  by  us. 

He  was  followed  by  Mr.  Breckinridge,  of  Kentucky, 
who  also  enthusiastically  ratified  the  nomination. 
Just  at  this  point  John  Kelly,  of  New  York,  ac 
companied  by  Augustus  Schell,  Amasa  J.  Parker, 
George  C.  Green,  and  Samuel  North  —  the  committee 
appointed  by  the  anti-Tilden  delegation  to  appear  be 
fore  the  Convention  in  behalf  of  HANCOCK  —  came 
upon  the  platform.  Mr.  Kelty  made  a  speech,  in 
which  he  asked  that  all  discordant  feelings  be  buried, 
and  promised  to  aid  the  ticket.  Mr.  Fellows,  of  New 
York,  responded,  and  at  the  conclusion  of  his  speech 
he  and  Kelly  shook  hands,  formally  and  impressively, 
the  band  playing  "Auld  Lang  Syne"  and  the  entire 
audience  cheering.  Susan  B.  Anthony  next  attracted 
the  attention  of  the  Chair,  and  presented  a  printed 
appeal  of  the  Women's  Suffrage  Association,  which 
was  read. 

Mr,  Watterson,  Chairman  of  the  Committee  on 
Resolutions  and  Rules,  then  reported  the  following 


HANCOCK  AND  ENQLl&a  4 1 1 

PLATFORM. 

The  Democrats  of  the  United  States,  in  convention 
assembled,  declare : 

First. — We  pledge  ourselves  anew  to  the  constitu 
tional  doctrines  and  traditions  of  the  Democratic 
party  as  illustrated  by  the  teaching  and  example  of 
a  long  line  of  Democratic  statesmen  and  patriots,  and 
embodied  in  the  platform  of  the  last  National  Con 
vention  of  the  party. 

Second. —  Opposition  to  centralization,  and  to  that 
dangerous  spirit  of  encroachment  which  tends  to  con 
solidate  the  powers  of  all  the  departments  in  one,  and 
thus  to  create  —  whatever  be  the  form  of  govern 
ment —  a  real  despotism.  No  sumptuary  laws ;  sep 
aration  of  Church  and  State,  for  the  good  of  each ; 
common  schools  fostered  and  protected. 

Third. —  Home  rule;  honest  money,  consisting  of 
gold  and  silver,  and  paper  convertible  into  coin  on 
demand ;  the  strict  maintenance  of  the  public  faith, 
State  and  national,  and  a  tariff  for  revenue  only. 

Fourth. —  The  subordination  of  the  military  to  the 
civil  power,  and  a  general  and  thorough  reform  of 
the  civil  service. 

Fifth. —  The  right  to  a  free  ballot  is  the  right  pre. 
servative  of  all  rights,  and  must  and  shall  be  main 
tained  in  every  part  of  the  United  States. 


i!2  THE  CINCINNATI  CONVENTION. 

Sixth. — The  existing  administration  is  the  repre 
sentative  of  conspiracy  only,  and  its  claim  of  right 
to  surround  the  ballot-boxes  with  troops  and  deputy 
marshals  to  intimidate  and  obstruct  the  electors,  and 
the  unprecedented  use  of  the  veto  to  maintain  its 
corrupt  and  despotic  power,  insults  the  people  and 
imperils  their  institutions. 

Seventh.— The  great  fraud  of  1876-77,  by  which, 
upon  a  false  count  of  the  electoral  votes  of  two 
States,  the  candidate  defeated  at  the  polls  was  de 
clared  to  be  President,,  and,  for  the  first  time  in 
American  history,  the  will  of  the  people  was  set 
aside  under  a  threat  of  military  violence,  struck  a 
deadly  blow  at  our  system  of  representative  govern 
ment.  The  Democratic  party,  to  preserve  the  coun 
try  from  the  horrors  of  a  civil  war,  submitted  for 
the  time,  in  firm  and  patriotic  faith  that  the  people 
would  punish  this  crime  in  1880.  This  issue  pre 
cedes  and  dwarfs  every  other.  It  imposes  a  more 
sacred  duty  upon  the  people  of  the  Union  than  ever 
addressed  the  conscience  of  a  nation  of  freemen. 

Eighth.  — We  execrate  the  course  of  this  adminis 
tration  in  making  places  in  the  civil  service  a  reward 
for  political  crime,  and  demand  a  reform  by  statute 
which  shall  make  it  forever  impossible  for  the  de 
feated  candidate  to  bribe  his  way  to  the  seat  of  a 
usurper  by  billeting  villains  upon  the^people. 


HANCOCK  AND  ENGLISH.  413 

Ninth.  —  The  resolution  of  Samuel  J.  Tilden  not 
again  to  be  a  candidate  for  the  exalted  place  to  which 
he  was  elected  by  a  majority  of  his  countrymen,  and 
from  which  he  was  excluded  by  the  leaders  of  the 
Kepublican  party,  is  received  by  the  Democrats  of 
the  United  States  with  sensibility,  and  they  declare 
their  confidence  in  his  wisdom,  patriotism,  and  integ 
rity,  unshaken  by  the  assaults  of  a  common  enemy ; 
and  they  further  assure  him  that  he  is  followed  into 
the  retirement  he  has  chosen  for  himself  by  the  sym 
pathy  and  respect  of  his  fellow-citizens,  who  regard 
him  as  one  who,  by  elevating  the  standards  of  public 
morality,  and  adorning  and  purifying  the  public  ser 
vice,  merits  the  lasting  gratitude  of  his  country  and 
his  party. 

Tenth. — Free  ships  and  a  living  chance  for  Ameri 
can  commerce  on.  the  seas  and  on  the  land.  No  dis 
crimination  in  favor  of  transportation  lines,  corpora 
tions,  or  monopolies. 

Eleventh.  —  The  amendment  of  the  Burlingame 
treaty.  No  more  Chinese  immigration,  except  for 
travel,  education,  and  foreign  commerce,  and  therein 
carefully  guarded. 

Twelfth. — Public  money  and  public  credit  for  pub 
lic  purposes  solely,  and  public  land  for  actual  settlers. 

Thirteenth.  —  The  Democratic  party  is  the  friend 
36* 


414  TIIE  CINCINNATI  CONVENTION. 

of  labor  and  the  laboring  man,  and  pledges  itself  to 
protect  him  alike  against  the  cormorants  and  the 
commune. 

Fourteenth.  —  We  congratulate  the  country  upon 
the  honesty  and  thrift  of  a  Democralic  Congress, 
which  has  reduced  the  public  expenditure  $40,000,- 
000  a  year ;  upon  the  continuation  of  prosperity  at 
home  and  the  national  honor  abroad;  and,  above  all, 
upon  the  promise  of  such  a  change  in  the  administra 
tion  of  the  Government  as  shall  insure  us  genuine 
and  lasting  reform  in  every  department  of  the  public 
service. 

This  platform  having  been  unanimously  adopted, 
the  Convention  proceeded  to  a  roll-call  for  the  nomi 
nation  of  a  Vice-President.  Mr.  Pettis,  of  Alabama, 
presented  the  name  of  W.  H.  English,  of  Indiana, 
which  was  speedily  made  unanimous,  and  the  main 
business  of  the  Convention  was  at  an  end.  The  roll 
was  then  called  by  States  for  nominations  for  the 
National  Committee. 

By  this  time  all  were  anxious  to  get  away,  and  th<a 
usual  resolutions  complimentary  to  1  he  President  and 
officers  of  the  Convention  were  submitted  and  adopted 
without  delay.  At  seven  minutes  past  three  o'clock, 
on  the  motion  of  Mr.  Preston,  of  Kentucky,  the  Demo 
cratic  National  Convention  of  1880  adjourned  sine  die 


HANCOCK  AND  ENGLISH. 


415 


APPENDIX  TO  CINCINNATI  CONVENTION,  No.  1. 

First  Ballot  by  States,  June  23,  1880. 


States. 

8 

i 

20 
12 
12 
6 

42 
30 
22 
10 
24 
16 

10 
6 
6 
3 

I 

4 
11 

21 

11 
il 

8 

i 

5 
12 
6 
1 

"s 

2 

•e 

•  |  Morrison. 

1 
1 

1 

| 
1 

1 
3 

1 
7 

2 
2 

1 

5 

2 
1 

7 
3 

1 

2 
15 
1 

~38~ 

7 

Arkansas  

4 
6 
8 
5 

*8 

6 

42 

"e 

3 

1 

30 
2 

2 

2 
7 

8 

7 

1 
16 
14 

Delaware      .    .       .... 

Florida  

Georgia  

Illinois  
Indiana....  

7 
8 

Maryland     

16 

'i* 

Massachusetts  

26 
22 
10 
16 
30 
6 
6 
10 
18 
70 
20 
44 
6 
58 
8 
14 
24 
16 
10 
22 
10 
20 

738 

13 
11 

5 
8 
15 
3 
3 
5 
9 
35 
10 
22 
3 
29 
4 
7 
12 
8 
5 
11 
5 
10 

369 

"i 

... 

i* 

J 

6 
5 
10 
5 

1 

Michigan          

Minnesota  

2 

8 
4 

Missouri                        .. 

4 

3 

... 

12 

"e 

Nebraska         - 

Nevada.          ..  '. 

3 
1 

New  Hampshire  

3 
10 

... 

4 

2 

4 

70 

North  Carolina 

7 

... 

1 

44 

9 

Ohio    

Oregon  

4 
1 
1 

1 

Pennsylvania  

1 

2 

14 
9 
5 

... 

1 

... 

28 

9 

... 

... 

"i 

1 
1 

11 

9 
10 
3 
3 
1 

171 

"sT 

Texas         .    . 

Vermont  

Virginia   

9 

10 

... 

... 

7 

West  Virginia  

2 
65 

6 

.10 

50J 

Totals  

416 


THE  CINCINNATI  CONVENTION. 

I 


APPENDIX  TO  CINCINNATI  CONVENTION,  No.  2. 

K.-cond  Ballot  by  States,  June  84,  1S80. 


States. 

Delegates. 

8 
[o 

I 

i. 
I 
1 

| 

i 

tq 

Thurman. 

iii 

1 

| 

| 

I 

1 

1 

Parker. 

* 

Alabama  

20 
12 
12 
'    6 
12 

10 
6 
6 
3 
fi 

4 
12 
5 
6 

5 
1 

1 

: 

11 
5 

11 

... 

2 

1 

5 
T9 

3 

2 
1 

~6~ 

2 

~~2~ 

1 
"I" 

Arkansas 

California  • 

Colorado  .. 

Connecticut..  . 

Delaware  

6     3 
8     4 
22l  11 
42    21 
30    15 
22    n 

10 

6 
8 
5 

1 

30 

... 

7 
42 

9 
10 
8 
16 
14 

11 
14 

10 

6 
28 

12 

3.} 
1 

6 
1 
5 
4 

70 

25 
1 

128? 

Florida  

Illinois  
Indiana 

Iowa 

Kansas  

10 
24 
16 
14 
16 
26 
22 
10 
16 
30 
6 
6 
10 
18 
70 
20 
44 
6 
58 
8 
14 
24 
16 
10 
22 
10 
20 

738 

5 
12 
8 
7 
8 
13 
11 
5 

J 

3 

9 
35 
10 
22 
3 
29 
4 
7 
12 
8 
5 
11 
5 
10 

369 

Kentucky  
Louisiana  

4 

7 

... 

2 

Maryland 

U 

16 
7 
4 

... 

... 

Massachusetts.... 
Alichican     

Minnesota  

Mississippi  
Missouri  

2 

8 
2 

... 

... 

Nebraska 

Nevada 

4 

... 

•• 

1 

F 

New  Hampshire. 
New  Jersey  

4 

... 

... 

7 

New  York  

North  Carolina- 
Ohio  

20 

32 

6 

14 
11 

10 

7 
7 
10 

320 

6 

1 

44 

Pennsylvania  ... 
Rhode  Island.... 
South  Carolina.. 
Tennessee  

2 

14 
8 
5 

... 

... 

Texas  

Virginia 

7 

2 
G5[ 

8 
1 
2 

113 

~si 

2 
1 

^o" 

West  Virginia... 
Wisconsin  

Totals  

CHAPTER  XL. 

WILLIAM    H.    ENGLISH,    OF    INDIANA. 

Nominated  for  Vice- Resident  of  the  United  States  by  the  Cincin 
nati  Convention  of  18SO  —  Sketch  of  hu  Life  —  A  Native  Indi- 
anian  —  Early  Career — Political  Record — Services  in  Congress  — 
The  Kansas- Nebraska  Bill—  Commercial  Life. 

WILLIAM  H.  ENGLISH  was  born  August  27, 
1822,  at  Lexington,  Scott  County,  Indiana, 
when  that  was  a  wild  frontier  region.  His  father, 
Elisha  G.  English,  was  pioneer  emigrant  from  Ken 
tucky.  Young  ENGLISH  attended  the  common 
schools  of  his  native  village,  spent  three  years  at 
South  Hanover  College,  studied  law,  and  was  ad 
mitted  to  the  bar  when  only  eighteen  years  old, 
also  to  practise  in  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United 
States  when  only  twenty-three.  He  entered  politics 
early,  being  a  delegate  to  the  Democratic  State  Con 
vention  several  years  before  he  came  of  age,  or  in 
the  hard -cider- and-log-cabin  campaign  of  1840.  He 
stumped  Indiana  for  the  Democratic  ticket,  and  when 
Harrison  died,  and  Tyler  succeeded  him,  young  ENG- 

2B  (417) 


418        LIFE  OF  W.  H.  ENGLISH,  OF  INDIANA. 

LISH  was  appointed  postmaster  at  Lexington.  In  18-4S 
lie  was  elected  Clerk  of  the  Indiana  House  of  Repre 
sentatives,  and  after  Folk's  election,  in  1844,  re 
ceived  a  treasury  appointment  at  Washington.  He 
opposed  Taylor's  election  in  1848,  and  just  before 
his  inauguration,  Mr.  ENGLISH  resigned  his  treasury 
position  in  a  letter  that  was  widely  published.  The 
family  was  always  Democratic,  his  father  and  one 
uncle  being  vice-presidents  and  two  other  uncles 
being  delegates  in  the  National  Democratic  Conven 
tion  of  1848.  These  four  English  brothers,  all  Dem 
ocrats,  were  members  of  the  respective  Legislatures 
of  four  different  States  at  the  same  time.  Mr.  ENG 
LISH  was  Clerk  of  the  United  States  Senate  Claims 
Committee  in  1850,  and  Secretary  of  the  Indiana 
Constitutional  Convention  of  the  same  year.  In 
1851  he  was  chosen  a  member,  and  then  Speaker,  of 
the  State  Legislature,  when  only  twenty-nine  years 
old. 

With  the  close  of  the  long  session  of  the  Legisla 
ture  of  1851,  in  which  Mr.  ENGLISH  had  earned 
golden  opinions  of  men  of  all  parties,  he  was  justly 
regarded  as  one  of  the  foremost  men  of  their  State, 
and  the  Democrats  of  his  district,  with  great  una 
nimity,  selected  him  for  their  standard-bearer  in  the 
race  for  Congress.  In  October,  1852,  when  just 


LIFE  OF  W.  H.  ENGLISH,  OF  INDIANA.       4.19 

thirty  years  of  age,  lie  was  elected  to  the  United 
States  House  of  Kepresentatives  by  488  majority. 
Mr.  ENGLISH  entered  Congress  at  the  commence 
ment  of  Mr.  Pierce's  administration,  and  gave  its 
political  measures  a  warm  and  generous  support. 

Mr.  ENGLISH  served  four  terms  in  Congress  —  in 
all  eight   years  —  immediately  preceding   the   war, 
and  that  during  the  entire  period  as  stormy  as  the 
National  Legislature  ever  experienced.     The  Kansas- 
Nebraska  bill  and  questions  growing  out  of  its  intro 
duction  were  among  the  most  prominent  and  import 
ant  measures  that  were  ever  submitted  to  Congress. 
"With  these  measures  he  was  conspicuously  identified, 
and  the  comprehensive  statesmanship  then  displayed 
gave  him  a  national  reputation  which  subsequent  events 
have  not  obscured.     Mr.  ENGLISH,  at  the  time  the 
Kansas-Nebraska  bill  was  introduced,  was  a  member 
of  the  House  Committee  on  Territories,  which  was 
charged  with  the  consideration  of  the  subject.     Pass 
ing  by  the  question  of  area  and  other  questions  of 
secondary  importance,  the  real  question  at  issue  was, 
"  Popular  Sovereignty,"  —  the  right  of  the  people 
to  determine  for  themselves  the  character  of  their 
Territorial  and  State  institutions ;  and  this  great  ques 
tion,  which  underlies  the  Democratic  idea  of  govern 
ment,  was  first  sharply  defined  in  the  discussion  of 


420        LIFE  OF  W.  H.  ENGLISH,  OF  INDIANA. 

the  "  Kansas-Nebraska  bill,"  for  the  organization  of 
the  Territories  bearing  these  names,  and  now  sove 
reign  and  prosperous  States.  Mr.  ENGLISH,  for  pru 
dential  reasons,  did  not  concur  with  the  majority  of 
the  Committee  on  Territories  in  bringing  forward 
the  Kansas-Nebraska  bill,  but  a  majority  of  the 
committee  decided  to  report  it,  whereupon  Mr.  ENG 
LISH,  on  the  31st  of  January,  1854,  made  a  minority 
report.  Both  the  House  and  Senate  bill,  at  the  time 
Mr.  ENGLISH  made  his  minority  report,  contained  a 
provision  "  that  the  Constitution  and  all  laws  of  the 
United  States  which  are  not  locally  inapplicable 
shall  have  the  same  force  and  effect  within  the  said 
Territory  as  elsewhere  in  the  United  States,"  and 
then  followed  this  important  reservation : 

"  Except  the  eighth  section  of  the  act  preparatory 
to  the  admission  of  Missouri  into  the  Union,  ap 
proved  March  6,  1820,  which  was  superseded  by  the 
principles  of  the  legislation  of  1850,  commonly  called 
the  compromise  measures,  and  is  hereby  declared  in 
operative." 

Mr.  ENGLISH  proposed  to  strike  out  this  exception 
and  insert  the  following : 

"  Provided  that  nothing  in  this  act  shall  be  so  con 
strued  as  to  prevent  the  people  of  said  Territory, 
through  the  properly  constituted  legislative  authority, 


LIFE  OF  W.  H.  ENGLISH,  OF  INDIANA.    ,    421 

from  passing  such  laws  in  relation  to  the  institution 
of  slavery,  not  inconsistent  with  the  Constitution  of 
the  United  States,  as  they  may  deem  best  adapted  to 
their  locality  and  most  conducive  to  their  happiness 
and  welfare;  and  so  much  of  any  existing  act  of 
Congress  as  may  conflict  with  the  above  right  of  the 
people  to  regulate  their  domestic  institutions  in  their 
own  way  be,  and  the  same  is,  hereby  repealed." 

The  agitation  of  the  slavery  question  continued 
and  culminated  in  Congress  upon  the  proposition  to 
admit  Kansas  into  the  Union  under  what  was  known 
as  the  Lecompton  Constitution,  which  did  not  pro 
hibit  the  institution  of  slavery,  and  it  was  at  this 
period  of  Mr.  ENGLISH'S  Congressional  history  that 
he  acquired  his  widest  reputation  as  a  statesman. 
He  was  firmly  opposed  to  the  admission  of  Kansas 
under  the  Lecompton  Constitution  until  that  instru 
ment  bad  been  ratified  by  a  vote  of  the  people,  and 
BO  true  was  he  to  his  convictions  that  he  opposed  the 
policy  of  the  administration  of  his  own  party  upon 
the  measure.  It  was  the  turning-point  in  the  history 
of  the  country,  and  the  position  assumed  and  main 
tained  by  Mr.  ENGLISH  in  that  long  and  exciting  con 
test  was  the  crowning  glory  of  his  Congressional  life, 
He  was  "  anti-Lecompton "  from  principle  and  not 
from  hostility  to  the  administration ;  opposition  did 


4:22        LIFE  OF  W.  H.  ENGLISH,  OF  INDIANA. 

not  intimidate  him,  dangers  did  not  affright  him. 
He  shrank  from  no  duty,  and  while  his  utterances 
were  bold,  they  were  consistent  with  the  right,  with 
duty,  and  with  the  best  interests  of  the  country. 

The  Senate  saw  proper  to  pass  a  bill  admitting 
Kansas,  under  the  Lecompton  Constitution,  without 
limit  or  condition;  but  this  bill,  although  it  com 
manded  the  favor  of  the  President  and  his  Cabinet, 
failed  to  receive  the  sanction  of  the  House  of  Kep- 
resentatives.  The  House,  on  the  other  hand,  passed 
a  bill  as  a  substitute  for  that  of  the  Senate,  but  this 
the  Senate  would  not  accept  nor  the  Executive  ap 
prove.  Thus  was  an  issue  formed  between  great 
co-ordinate  branches  of  the  Government,  whose 
joint  and  harmonious  action  could  alone  remove 
the  dangerous  question  and  give  peace  to  the 
country. 

In  this  stage  of  the  proceedings,  when  the  whole 
country  had  about  abandoned  the  hope  of  a  settle 
ment  of  the  disagreement  between  the  Houses,  and 
the  angry  contest  was  likely  to  be  adjourned,  for 
further  and  protracted  agitation,  before  a  people 
already  inflamed  with  sectional  animosities,  Mr. 
ENGLISH  took  the  responsibility  of  moving  to  con 
cur  in  the  proposition  of  the  Senate  asking  for  a 
committee  of  free  conference.  The  excitement  upon 


LIFE  OF  W.  H.  ENGLISH,  OF  INDIANA.        423 

the  occasion  liad  scarcely  ever  been  equalled  in  the 
House  of  Representatives.  Upon  adopting  this  mo 
tion,  the  vote  was  108  to  108,  but  the  Speaker  voted 
in  the  affirmative,  and  the  motion  carried.  From 
this  committee  Mr.  ENGLISH  reported  what  is  known 
as  the  "  English  bill,"  which  became  the  law  after  a 
struggle  of  unparalleled  bitterness.  Under  this  law, 
the  question  of  admission  under  the  Lecompton  Con 
stitution  was,  in  effect,  referred  back  to  the  people 
of  Kansas,  and  they  voted  against  it,  just  as  Mr. 
ENGLISH  and  almost  every  one  else  expected  they 
would  do.  On  the  final  vote,  which  admitted  Kansas 
as  a  State,  he  was  still  a  member,  and  voted  for  her 
admission. 

After  the  passage  of  the  "  English  bill,"  a  very 
determined  effort  was  made  to  prevent  Mr.  ENG 
LISH'S  re-election  to  Congress,  but  he  was  returned 
by  a  larger  majority  than  ever.  There  had  been  no 
change  in  the  boundaries  of  his  district,  but  his 
career  in  this,  as  in  everything  else,  had  been  up 
ward  and  onward,  his  majority  gradually  increasing 
at  each  election  from  400  in  1852  to  2000  in  1858; 
and  though  he  had  defeated  Buchanan's  favorite  meas 
ure,  the  President  wrote  a  letter  to  him,  saying,  "  I 
omit  no  opportunity  of  expressing  my  opinion  of  how 
much  the  country  owes  you  for  the  '  Engli sh '  amend- 


424        LIFE  OF  W.  H.  ENGLISH,  OF  INDIANA. 

ment.  Having  lost  the  bill  of  the  Senate,  which  I 
preferred,  the  country  would  have  been  in  a  sad 
condition  had  it  not  been  relieved  by  your  measure. 
It  is  painful  even  to  think  of  what  would  have  been 
the  alarming  condition  of  the  Union  had  Congress 
adjourned  without  passing  your  amendment.  I  trust 
you  will  have  no  difficulty  in  being  renominated  and 
re-elected.  If  I  had  a  thousand  votes,  you  should 
have  them  all  with  a  hearty  good- will."  As  the  war 
approached,  Mr.  ENGLISH  openly  disavowed  all  sym 
pathy  for  the  rule-or-ruin  element  of  the  Democracy, 
and  tried  to  conciliate  the  factions.  Addressing  the 
Southern  Democratic  Congressmen,  one  day,  he  said, 
"Looking  at  this  matter  from  the  particular  stand 
point  you  occupy,  it  is  to  be  feared  you  have  not 
always  properly  appreciated  the  position  of  the  Free- 
State  Democracy  or  the  perils  which  would  environ 
them  in  the  event  of  a  resort  to  the  extreme  meas 
ures  to  which  I  refer.  "Would  you  expect  us,  in 
such  an  event,  to  go  with  you  out  of  the  Union  ? 
If  so,  let  me  tell  you  frankly,  your  expectations  will 
never  be  realized.  Collectively,  as  States,  it  would 
be  impossible,  and  as  individuals,  inadmissible ;  be 
cause  it  would  involve  innumerable  sacrifices  and  a 
severance  of  those  sacred  ties  which  bind  every  man 
to  his  own  immediate  country,  and  which,  as  patriots, 


LIFE  OF  W.  H.  ENGLISH,  OF  INDIANA.        425 

we  never  would  surrender."  He  now  retired  from 
Congress,  and,  declining  the  command  of  an  Indiana 
regiment  offered  him  by  the  great  war-Governor  of 
Indiana,  Oliver  P.  Morton,  still  advocated  the  Union 
cause! 

At  the  close  of  the  Thirty-sixth  Congress,  and 
when  in  the  full  meridian  of  success,  never  having 
been  defeated  before  the  people,  and  with  a  fair 
prospect  of  being  advanced  to  still  higher  political 
honors,  he  retired  from  Congress  and  active  political 
life  as  an  office-holder.  As  Chairman  of  the  Com 
mittee  on  Resolutions  at  the  Convention  of  1864, 
which  nominated  his  friend,  Michael  C.  Kerr,  for 
Congress  from  his  old  district,  Mr.  ENGLISH  prepared 
and  reported  a  resolution,  which  was  adopted,  de 
claring  : 

"  That  we  are  now,  as  we  ever  have  been,  unquali 
fiedly  in  favor  of  the  Union  of  the  States  under  the 
Constitution,  and  stand  ready,  as  we  haye  ever  stood 
heretofore,  to  do  everything  that  loyal  aud  true  citi 
zens  should  do  to  maintain  that  Union  under  the 
Constitution,  and  to  hand  it  down  to  our  children 
unimpaired,  as  we  received  it  from  our  fathers." 

To  these  sentiments  of  loyalty  to  the  Union,  Mr. 
ENGLISH  firmly  and  consistently  adhered  throughout 
the  struggle.  His  fidelity  never  wavered,  nor  did 
36* 


426        LIFE  OF  W.  H.  ENGLISH,  OF  INDIANA. 

his  do-abts.ever  gain  an  ascendency  over  his  convic 
tions  that  the  Union  would  be  preserved. 

At  the  close  of  his  useful  and  honorable  Congres 
sional  services,  Mr.  ENGLISH  was  confronted  with 
the  fact  that  a  new  departure  in  his  business  life  was 
inevitable.  At  this  juncture  he  concluded  to  embark 
in  the  business  of  banking,  and,  in  connection  with 
J.  F.  D.  Lanier,  of  New  York,  and  George  W.  Riggs, 
of  Washington  City,  he  established,  in  the  spring  of 
1863,  the  First  National  Bank  of  Indianapolis.  This 
bank  was  among  the  first  organized  in  the  United 
States  under  the  national  system,  and  the  very  first 
to  get  out  its  circulation.  Mr.  ENGLISH'S  connection 
with  this  bank  brought  him  into  great  prominence 
as  a  financier,  and  in  this  position,  as  in  other  places 
of  great  responsibility,  he  displayed  consummate 
ability.  During  the  period  of  his  connection  with 
the  First  National  Bank,  the  question  of  national 
finances  excited  the  profoundest  solicitation,  and 
engaged  th/;  attention  of  the  best  thinkers  in  the 
country.  During  the  entire  period  of  that  discussion, 
Mr.  ENGLISH'S  views  were  well  understood.  No 
man's  opinions  were  less  equivocal.  His  knowledge 
of  business,  of  finances,  and  of  the  needs  of  the  coun 
try  was  comprehensive.  He  was  opposed  to  infla 
tion,  and  as  certainly  opposed  to  extreme  and  hasty 


LIFE  OF  W.  H.  ENGLISH,  OF  INDIANA.        427 

legislation  looking  to  forced  resumption.  With  re- 
gard  to  gold  and  silver  as  the  standards  of  value,  and 
to  the  absolute  necessity  of  ultimate  resumption,  no 
man  in  the  country  was  more  pronounced  in  his 
declarations,  —  as  a  result,  his  financial  record  is 
without  a  blemish.  Mr.  ENGLISH  presided  over  this 
bank  over  fourteen  years,  to  the  entire,  satisfaction 
of  the  stockholders,  and  then,  in  1877,  in  the  full 
meridian  of  financial  success,  he  resigned  the  Presi 
dency  and  retired  from  active  business,  as  he  had 
years  before  retired  from  active  politics  as  an  office 
holder  when  in  the  full  tide  of  political  success. 
Faithful  to  every  trust,  he  retained  the  good  opinion 
of  his  associates  then,  as  he  had  of  his  constituents 
when  he  retired  from  Congress.  He  took  part  in 
political  organization  at  home,  but  declined  to  run 
for  office,  his  banking  business  occupying  his  atten 
tion.  He  has  a  fine  residence  in  Indianapolis,  and  is 
a  widower  with  two  grown  children.  His  son,  "W. 
E.  English,  is  a  member  of  the  Indiana  Legislature, 
where  the  English  family  rival  the  Bayards  in  win 
ning  family  honors.  His  daughter  is  married  and 
lives  in  Louisville.  Mr.  ENGLISH  is  described  as 
above  the  average  height,  with  an  erect,  well-made 
figure.  His  head  is  of  good  size,  with  regular  feat- 
ures.  Tl>e  forehead  is  high  and  broad.  He  is  dig- 


428        LIFE  OF  W.  H.  ENGLISH,  OF  INDIANA. 

nified  and  gentlemanly  in  his  manners,  and  "has  a 
pleasing  address  with  all  persons.  His  whole  contour 
of  face  and  person  would  at  once  attract  favorable 
attention  in  any  gathering. 

Such  is  the  man  who  was  selected  by  the  Demo 
cratic  party  in  Convention  at  Cincinnati  on  June  24, 
1880,  for  the  second  place  on  their  Presidential  ticket. 
A  man  who  has  gained  unqualified  success  in  every 
phase  of  his  life ;  a  man  who  has  earned  and  retained 
the  confidence  of  all  with  whom  he  has  had  social, 
political,  or  commercial  relations ;  a  man  of  action 
rather  than  of  speech,  for,  though  a  good  debater,  he 
ig  remarkable  rather  for  hard  logic  and  practical 
common  sense  than  for  the  flowers  of  rhetoric  or  the 
ponderous  periods  of  oratorical  display.  Energy  of 
character,  firmness  of  purpose,  and  an  unswerving  in 
tegrity  are  his  chief  characteristics.  In  personal 
intercourse  he  is  inclined  to  be  retiring  and  reserved, 
which  might  be  attributed  to  haughtiness  or  pride 
by  a  stranger,  but  to  an  acquaintance  or  friend  he  is 
open,  candid,  and  affable.  In  the  private  and  social 
relations  of  life  he  stands  "without  blemish  and 
above  reproach."  As  a  business  man  he  has  most 
valuable  qualities.  Without  being  too  cautious,  he 
j.s  prudent  and  conservative. 


CHAPTER  XLL 

CONCLUSION. 

WITH  a  feeling  of  regret,  we  approach  the 
conclusion  of  a  congenial  task,  and  write  the 
closing  passages  of  a  biography  of  one  of  Nature's 
noblemen;  for  it  may  truly  be  said  of  WINFIELD 
SCOTT  HANCOCK  that  such  he  is.  A  pure,  honorable 
man ;  a  Coeur  de  Lion  in  battle ;  a  Bayard  in  chiv 
alry  ;  a  Chesterfield  in  politeness ;  and,  above  all,  an 
American  citizen- soldier,  revering  the  principles  of 
the  immortal  Declaration  of  Independence,  obedient 
to  their  commands,  jealous  of  their  safety,  and  de 
termined  that  they  shall  be  respected.  Of  the  peo 
ple  and  with  the  people,  it  is  fitting  that  by  the 
people  he  should  be  honored.  Of  the  soldiers  and 
with  the  soldiers,  it  is  but  natural  that  by  the  soldiers 
he  should  be  esteemed  almost  to  adoration,  for  he 
invariably  identified  himself  with  their  interests  or 
cheir  sufferings,  and,  with  sympathies  easily  aroused, 
ever  strove  to  alleviate  their  misfortunes  with  a 
personal  zest,  and  thus  making  himself  as  nii.ch  the 

(429), 


430  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

friend  as  the  Commander,  ensured  at  once  their  love 
and  their  obedience.  To  this  is  due  that  almost 
reckless  bravery  of  his  men,  leading  them  to  prefer 
death  on  the  field  sooner  than  meiit  a  reproachful 
glance  from  those  blue  eyes  which  could  light  up  so 
eloquently  over  an  act  of  valor. 

In  appearance,  General  HANCOCK  is  commanding, 
being  not  less  than  six  feet  two  inches  in  height, 
well  formed,  with  a  graceful  carriage,  and  his  hand 
some  features  improved,  if  that  were  possible,  by 
the  silvery  moustache,  which  tells  something  of  the 
thirty-five  years  of  military  life  and  its  hardships. 
"Weighing  about  two  hundred  and  forty  pounds,  he 
is  a  fine  specimen  of  mature  American  manhood. 
His  only  son,  Kussell  Hancock,  a  worthy  son  of  a 
worthy  sire,  is  an  enterprising  planter  in  Mississippi. 

Before  closing,  we  must  advert  to  a  misstatement 
which,  from  some  hostile  source,  has  recently  been 
promulgated,  to  the  effect  that  General  HANCOCK  is 
inimical  to  the  present  administration.  It  is  quite 
true  that  he  believed  Mr.  Tilden  had  been  elected, 
and  so  told  General  SHERMAN;  but,  acquiescing  in 
the  decision  of  the  Electoral  Commission,  he  was 
one  of  the  first  Major-Generals  to  pay  his  respects  to 
President  HAYES,  modestly  inscribing  in  the  visitor's 
book,  "  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK,  Major-General 


DEMOCJtA  TIC  PRESIDENTIAL  NOMINEE.      431 

U.  S.  A.,  by  invitation  of  General  SHERMAN.'' 
Law  had  spoken,  and  HANCOCK,  the  soldier-citizen, 
saluted  the  law. 

Had  we  space,  we  might  fill  many  pages  with  the 
complimentary  telegrams  from  all  sources  on  his 
presidential  nomination ;  with  the  eloquent  speeches 
of  ex-Governor  Hendricks,  of  Senator  Thurman,  of 
the  plucky  general  and  ex-governor  Wade  Hampton; 
with  the  enthusiastic  endorsement  of  General  and 
Governor  GEORGE  B.  MCCLELLAN,  of  General  AL 
FRED  T.  PEARSON,  and  hundreds  of  others,  Republi 
can  and  Democratic  alike ;  but  we  must  conclude, 
and  most  appropriately,  we  think,  with  the  reply  of 
General  SHERMAN  to  an  interviewer:  "I  am  not 
much  interested  in  politics ;  but  if  you  will  sit  down 
and  write  the  best  that  can  be  put  in  the  English  lan 
guage  of  General  HANCOCK  as  a  soldier  and  as  a 
gentleman,  I  will  sign  it  without  hesitation" 

A  volume  could  say  no  more,  and  we  will  not. 


THE  END. 


